Karonga district officials threaten to close main market: Vendors maintain demo threats
Karonga district council officials in northern Malawi are threatening to close down the district’s main market should vendors press ahead with their demand for the reduction of the recently hiked market fee.
In a letter to the vendors headed; complaints against upward revision against the revision of the market fee dated July 2, 2013 which Nyasa Times possesses, district commissioner Emmanuel Bambe says the council’s management has no mandate to act on issues that were unanimously agreed during the consultative forum until such a time it reconvenes.
“Meanwhile we urge you to comply with the revised bylaws that came into effect on July 1, 2013.failure to comply will result into closure of the market with immediate effect until the next consultative meeting which happen after a year,” says Bambe in the document.
Bambe was responding to a letter from members of Market Craft Centre to the office of Urban Administration in which they complained of the market fee hike which they said are now paying K120 from the previous K80 per day.
The vendors have since Monday been refusing to pay the market fee as a way of pushing for a councils officials to bow down to their demand and are threatening to go into streets should the council maintain its stand.
