Country Market fighting for survival

Writer & Photographer Hedda Mittner

A letter sent out on 3 January by Liza van Coppenhagen, the organiser of the Hermanus Country Market, to inform her traders and the public that the market would be closing permanently, with immediate effect, led to such public outcry that various stakeholders are now doing all they can to prevent this from happening.

After a meeting on 5 January, chaired by the Municipal Manager and attended by amongst others the Mayor, members of the Mayoral Committee and representatives of the Hermanus Country Market, a statement was released which said: “The Overstrand Municipality values the significance of the market toward creating jobs, ensuring the livelihoods of traders, its contribution to the economy and tourism of the region.”

Although the municipality confirmed that “The market structures have been identified as non-compliant with the national building regulations, which the municipality is obliged to enforce”, it went on to say that “the importance of the market was agreed to by all and the way forward was mapped. To give effect to these discussions, further deliberations will be had with all affected parties to find an amicable solution to ensure the continued operation of the Hermanus Country Market.”

Following this meeting, a group of traders took matters into their own hands and announced on Friday that the market would be open on Saturday. “This is absolutely a humanitarian decision and 100% in line with the Government gazetted guidelines,” the group said in a message that was widely circulated on social media. “A lot has been done by all involved in the last couple of days to get to this point. Our priority is now to get trading in a safe manner so our traders can make a living again. There is a lot that needs to be done to secure this market for years to come, but getting income into our traders’ pockets is now the priority.”

Enthusiastic patrons who arrived in droves at the market on Saturday to support the traders had to comply with strict Covid-19 protocols and some had to stand in line before being allowed into the venue. Only 50 traders were permitted to set up their stalls and members of the group not only kept a register and checked patrons’ temperatures on arrival, but also kept count of the number of people inside the venue in order to ensure that only a limited number entered.

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