A recent Daily Maverick op-ed critical that the reference to businesses in South African townships as “informal” conveys bias, prompted me to question local practice. Maxwell Gomera and Miles Kubheka make a strong case that using the word suggests that the businesses are somehow “incomplete, waiting to be fixed, registered or rescued”.
The usage of the word has been commonplace in Kenya since at least 1970. In the ensuing 55 years, the duality of our economy has been the subject of numerous reports and studies. The analysis has, however, remained firmly rooted in convention.
