Trolley Street Test

Here is a short video clip from the first street test of our research and cartage trolley. I am hugely impressed by the speed and maneuverability of the trolley - Despite having some problems with the wheel bearings during the test.


Picture: Christo Doherty

The trolley was well received by pedestrians and motorists. We were also invited to take the trolley up to the 2nd floor of Joburg Mall, where we enjoyed some Ethiopian Coffee (for real).


Picture: Christo Doherty

Trolley pusher Hansa Monsaka was particularly excited to try out the new trolley. He thought the ride-on functionality was great for getting across town.

I am excited by the video capabilities of the trolley. The camera effectively turns the trolley into a mobile video surveillance unit. This functionality is important as we are now able to monitor and document the urban environment discreetly.

Lookout for our 2nd road test next week, when we take all four of our trolleys on the road. And please don't forget to checkout all of Christo Doherty's beautiful pictures .

Research Trolley Prototype

We have just completed our first prototype trolley and are currently rolling out are first four trolleys!! Things are moving along nicely, the team are looking forward to hitting the streets!

Supply and Demand of Supermarket Trolleys

Theft of supermarket trolleys is a highly organised business. The trolleys are supplied by gangs made up of Zimbabwean youth, who utilise hired trucks and vans to transport stolen trolleys from shopping centers to the downtown area where they are sold on the streets.

The trolley pushers are not directly responsible for the theft of trolleys. However, everyone is aware of the pick up points for stolen trolleys in the area. During quiet periods, stolen trolleys are sold for as little as R50, whilst trolleys can sell for as much as R200 during busy periods.

The response from supermarket chain stores has been to setup a special task force for recovering stolen trolleys off the streets. Weekly raids ensure that all the visible trolleys in the area are confiscated. Subsequently, the trolley pushers have devised a system, whereby trolleys are locked to immovable property on the sidewalk. During raids trolleys are also moved off the streets and are parked into the basement spaces of high rise buildings.

Trolley pushers report that it is becoming increasingly difficult to operate with stolen trolleys on the streets, as the police and supermarket chain stores are clamping down on the activity. Most of the interviewed trolley pushers don’t like the hassle associated with pushing stolen supermarket trolleys and are desperate for a viable legal alternative.

The Spatial Organisation of Trolley Pushers in Joubert Park

On the morning of the 3rd of February 2009, 106 trolley pushers were counted in the Joubert Park area. Our study shows that 50% of trolley pushers were of Zimbabwean origin, 40% of Mozambican origin, whilst South African trolley pushers made up only 10% of the total number of trolley pushers.

Trolley pusher groups occupy almost every corner of Joubert Park. The groups prefer waiting at known taxi stops, where they are likely to find customers requiring baggage assistance. There are approximately 20 trolley pusher groups operating within a 10 block radius in Joubert Park. Group sizes vary from as little as 2 members to as many as 20 members per group. The groups are formed through informal social agreements where routes of operation are agreed upon. The barriers of access are very low with only R50 required to buy a stolen supermarket trolley. Theoretically, anybody can become a trolley pusher, however the activity is exclusively male dominated.

Trolley Pushers who operate independently, without any affiliation to a group are known as ‘spinners’. ‘Spinners’ tour the city in search of customers and are often accused of stealing people’s luggage. They also cause conflicts with trolley groups as there is severe competition for business. Conflicts amongst larger groups are more common, as every additional member adds to the competition for customers.

Latest Trolley Designs

Checkout our latest designs for our research and cartage trolley. In total four custom built trolleys are being developed as part of an active experiment on Johannesburg roads. The trolleys are being designed to ride on, with large pneumatic wheels to ensure all road capability. The design also boasts a unique fold away research station, for conducting surveys and for the storing of information leaflets.

With thanks to Liale Francis and Renzo Rader of Pika Design Studio.

Meet the Team

Pictured Above: Rob Peers (seated), Keith Busani Khumalo (left), Hansa Monsaka (right)

Keith Busani is a trolley pusher and research assistant. His interests lie in developing a representative trolley pusher association in Johannesburg.

Ismail Farouk holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. His work explores and initiates creative responses to racial, social, political and economic injustice.

Hansa Monsaka is a trolley pusher who has intimate knowledge of police movement patterns in Joubert Park. He is interested in developing a courier business in the downtown area of Johannesburg.

Rob Peers is an undergraduate Psychology and Economics student at the University of Witwatersrand. Peers is interested in informal economics and related pedestrian movement in public space.

About the Trolleyworks.org project

The Trolleyworks.org project was initiated with the primary aim to provide trolley pushers with a legal trolley alternative to the stolen shopping carts currently being used on the streets. A major problem associated with trolley pushing activity has been victimization by the police. Every time a raid occurs, trolley pushers are fined R300 and their trolleys are confiscated. Lately, raids have been occurring with increasing frequency and trolley pushers are being detained in prison for a seemingly harmless economic activity.

In addition to designing custom built trolleys for the legalization of the activity, the project also seeks to develop trolley pusher led guided tours of the downtown area. The tours are seen as a practical means to sustain the project. They are also seen as a strategy to address the need to walk in the downtown area of Johannesburg. Walking in Johannesburg is strongly linked to class, race, crime, fear and paranoia. The proposed tours attempt to address these challenges, whilst getting people thinking and contributing to a conversation related to the politics of public space in the city.















In total four custom built trolleys are being developed as part of an active experiment on Johannesburg roads. The trolleys are being designed to ride on, with large heavy duty wheels to ensure all road capability. The design also boasts a unique fold away research station, for conducting surveys and for storing information leaflets.

Four trolley pushers from the area have been identified to work as tour guides and as field researchers. The research team is currently conducting interviews and surveys aimed at providing demographic information about the trolley pushers in the area. In addition, they are also carrying out daily mapping exercises concentrating on spatially locating the various informal economic activities in public space.

The Trolleyworks.org project was initiated by Johannesburg based artist Ismail Farouk as part of the Sylt Quelle Cultural Award for Southern Africa 2008. The cross-disciplinary award, launched by the Foundation Kunst:raum Sylt Quelle and the Goethe-Institute, invited proposals from writers, artists, choreographers, musicians, filmmakers and others, in Southern Africa, focusing on practitioners that engage relevant social issues in their work. The first phase of the Trolleyworks project began in December 2008, and is proposed to run until May 2009.