Social Development Intervention

Introduction

The aim is to develop a social development intervention and apply engineering techniques to solve problems.

Background to the problem/project

Most street vendors provide the main source of income for their households, bringing food to their families and paying school fees for their children. Many hawkers are vulnerable to ill health due to the lack of shelter, exposure to the weather elements and other stressful life circumstances. Income level was found to be a key factor in determining the accessibility of health care, placing those in the low-income bracket, as most hawkers are, in danger of neglect by the health care system.

Furthermore, hawkers often work in environments that expose them to hazards such as accidents and illnesses.

The vendors or hawkers are exposed to biological, ergonomic, physical and psychosocial hazards around the Bellville taxi rank. Hawkers often trade along pathways of congested traffic and concentrated air pollutants exacerbate conditions such as asthma, allergies, tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis. In these areas, the traders are at risk of eye irritation, dizziness, and tightness of the chest, sore throats, colds and coughs.

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Furthermore, the concentration and exposure to exhaust fumes can be a possible source of lead poisoning to the vendors or hawkers. For some hawkers, physical injury may be caused by prolonged participation in excessively strenuous physical activities such as loading and offloading their goods on a daily basis, taxi violence that has been going on in the Bellville taxi rank is also a risk to their safety.

Definition of terms

Street vendor: street vendor is a person who offers good or services for sale to publics without having a permanently built structure but with a temporary static structure or mobile stall (or head-load).

Street vendors could be stationary and occupy space as the pavements or other public/private areas, or could be mobile. In many African metropolitan areas, hawkers commonly referred to as vendors are very usual sight. They sell a wide range of good such as fruits, vegetables, clothes and more commercial area they usually have stand on lay the good good on the ground.

Congestion: congestion is a condition that occurs within the street or road networks as users increase, which is characterised by slower speeds. This study will focus on pedestrian who have been pushed in the streets because the pavements are occupied by street vendors.

Public space: a public space is a place that is generally open and accessible to people. roads( including the pavement). Public squares, parks are typically considered urban public space. This study mainly focus on spaces within the Bellville area used by street vendors to sell, which are pavement and side walk

Rationale of the project

Reduce the congestion created by the street vendor around the Bellville cape town station

Improve health and safety of Community of the poor or Vendors around the Bellville Cape Town station. Who are selling and working in an unhealthy and unsafe working environment.

Problem statement

Most of the Vendors or hawkers around Bellville taxi rank are getting serious illness due to the uncleanliness of the working environment and the congestion (footpath) created by street vendor activity

Aim of the intervention

To improve the working environment of the vendors or hawkers and to reduce the congestion created around the Bellville cape town station by the street vendor

Objectives to be met in the intervention/project

• To improve the working environment by building rank hangar in form of some kiosks where they will be selling
• To improve working environment in terms of ergonomics.
• Street vending market
• Factor that influencing street hawking

Social reason

Street hawking is a mean of earning a livelihood among the urban poor because it requires a small capital and low skill. a higher number of the street hawkers in urban are take to the street when do not find other sources of income. Economic crises lead to increase unemployment through loss of jobs in the formal economy and to increase unemployment in the informal economy. This lead people to turn to vending as a possible source of income to respondent to inflation.Economic reason

The target customer of street hawkers are mainly passing pedestrian .however despite the ambiguity of its definition street vendor or street hawking, as an income generating activity, has become a major structure feature of society .the street vendor or hawkers need very low investment and entering the street trading field to gain some income is basically effortless .starting and activating a street hawking business is relatively stress free

Environmental reason

Hawkers have occupied most streets, taking up any available space to trade, given that they encroach on footpath pedestrians find it difficult to walk and are frequently annoyed with them; hygiene is another negative effect of the street food sellers as the environment.

Problem they face

Street vendor are exposed to extreme temperature (wind, rain and sun) poor access to clean water and sanitation from dirty streets and poor drainage, as well as waste produces from other vendors, diseases transmitted by vermin

Musculoskeletal problem associated with ergonomics hazard at workstations and static postures

The municipal authorities have been the major source of insecurity for these trader, the authorities harass, beat and confiscate good of street vendors without any warning.

Impact of the street vending on the economy

Research methodology

In our research we had used qualitative data methods, to get information about how we can reduce the congestion created by the street vendor around the Bellville station and improve their working

Survey

A survey is an investigation of one or more characteristic of population

Sampling

Sampling survey is a measurement of part of a population

Convenience sample

Convenience sample is a method which consists of getting information from the members of the population. In our research we interviewed 6 people who are selling around the Bellville cape town station, those people were selling different good (vegetables, clothes, traditional medicine).most concern of our question were about what were the challenge street vendor have been facing and what change they would like to experience in the future in their working environment.

Ethical consideration

Ethical consideration is essential to good research practice. Research always has to consider the effect of their actions. All respondents has the right to human dignity, and it is of vital important to withhold identity of respondent. Since the street vending market is view as illegal, it was possible that the street vendor feel intimidated by the researcher.

Methodology

Interview

An interview was conducted around the Bellville taxi rank.