There is an abundance of scholarly work on migration, urbanization, informality, and urban food security, albeit with limited attention to the intersectionality of all of these themes particularly from a governance perspective. This paper seeks to contribute to that knowledge gap by examining how the available regulatory frameworks affect international migrant food vendors in the City of Cape Town. The presentation uses the results of the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) food retailer survey conducted in Cape Town in 2018. It also draws on the governance literature and analyses of the public policy environment in South Africa and Cape Town. The overall goal is to explore the role of the existing regulation in shaping the practice of food vending, including organization of businesses and coping strategies, of migrant communities.
About the speaker
Dr. Percy Toriro received his PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is a practicing Urban Planner who has worked in cities across Africa. Dr. Toriro was a Lecturer in the Planning School at the University of Zimbabwe and is a past president of the Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners. As an urban planning researcher, Dr. Toriro participated in the African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN) and the Consuming Urban Poverty (CUP) projects in Southern Africa. He is committed to bridging the gap between academia and practice and is currently involved in knowledge generation that seeks to produce university teaching materials whilst providing practitioners with tools for evidence-based policymaking and strategy development. Dr. Toriro is currently a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Scholar with the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) at Wilfrid Laurier University based at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.