More books seized by JMPD

It's been a few months, but JMPD seized Sandile's (Mahle's) books again. For background, check out my story from January. This is the third time since I met him that police have seized his books for trading illegally on the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. He gets hassled more than that, but small bribes usually suffice.

That sidewalk isn't zoned for trading, but there's no reason it shouldn't be. The pavement is very wide there. And what's the point in seizing books? Or in pretending that he'll be able to come up with R2500 to get them back?

So he's spent this week restocking. I had some that I could give him, and some that he can take at cost, but it's a mission to rebuild his business because his selection is well curated and thoughtful. And there's all the days of lost income from having no sales. We all need help, not silly hurdles.

In the longer term, I've been encouraging him to think about moving into 1 Eloff when the market there opens full time... Other suggestions welcome for reasonable rent more or less downtown.