Johannesburg Trolley Pusher Protest (2008)

posted by Ismail Farouk at Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Trolley pushing activity in the city provides a necessary service for people wanting to transport heavy baggage through the city. Most trolley pushers charge a fee of R20 for a single load, but are seldom paid more than R5 by streetwise customers who know that trolley pushers are in no position to bargain. The problem with the activity has been the illegal nature of the trolleys used as they are stolen from supermarket chain stores. However, the trolley pushers are not responsible for the theft of trolleys. Trolleys are supplied to pushers on the street by gangsters for a fee of R50.

Harassment by the police is also a problem. Every time a raid occurs, trolley pushers are fined R300 and trolleys are confiscated. Lately, raids have been occurring on Fridays, with trolley pushers being arrested over the weekend.

The trolley pusher protest was orchestrated in collaboration with the the trolley pushers of Joubert Park. The objective behind the action was to mobilize support for the formalisation of a representative trolley association. The protest took place at the vehicular entrance of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), a location synonymous with police activity. Since the protest, weekly meetings with the trolley pushers have been organised in aid of formalising their activities in the city.

Labels: Creative Response, Informal, JAG, Johannesburg, protest, Trolley Pushers, video art