Mercury serves up 'Pap Mama' concept

Mercury Freight, as part of its Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) social responsibility initiative, has sponsored a so-called ‘Pap Mama’ house which provides safety, comfort and shelter for informal street vendors. “The collapsible 2-metre by 2-metre house, built out of PVC, is waterproof, protects against other bad weather elements and can be folded up and stored or easily transported,” said Kirk Mostert, co-owner of Aluwin Images, a BEE signage company that worked with Mercury Freight on this project. He told FTW that Aluwin had come up with the concept a few years ago after noting how informal vendors selling food (or other goods) struggled against the elements – such as crime and bad weather. “Hence the name Pap Mama’,” he said. Mostert told FTW that the house had a serving window, a door that can be locked and it can be easily cleaned and kept clean, which is particularly important when it comes to selling food. “The project has been endorsed by the government and sponsors can earn BEE points and claim tax rebates as part of their social responsibility initiatives,” he said, adding that the design also allowed sponsors to add their logos and key messaging to the exterior of the house and advertise their services. Companies can suggest locations for the houses and Aluwin will source vendors and do the necessary checks and balances to ensure the vendors meet the necessary criteria as dictated by the BEE codes. “We do all the legwork; all the sponsor needs to do is give us their logo, their messaging and pay for the house to be designed and constructed,” Mostert said. CAPTION Mercury Freight director, Thulani Mkhaliphi, is pictured with some of the food vendors in front of the new Pap Mama house.