Blantyre City Council in demolition of vending stalls: Mwaungulu says ‘target motor vehicles sellers’ too
Blantyre City Council on Monday night demolished structures for vendors in Limbe town specifically for those who ply their trade in areas deemed illegal for vending.
Vendors plying their trade in the demolished stalls reacted with shock when they reported for the days’ business and more police officers were deployed within the city with some vendors visibly angry at the development.
Notices have been made by Blantyre City Council advising all vendors plying their trade along the streets and in other undesignated markets to immediately stop trading and move into the nearby designated markets and the order was expected to be effected at midnight of Friday, September 18, 2020.
“Failure to voluntarily vacate the streets by the given deadline shall compel the Council to use lawful means of forcing them out,” said the notice.
“Residents and members of the public are hereby asked to stop buying from street vendors so that together we can stop the malpractice.
“The Council is also asking people who erected structures along roads and other areas without Council approval to immediately take down those structures [as] the Council is embarking on an exercise to demolish all illegal structures.”
The council has since advised the concerned vendors to find spaces at the designated market.
Meanwhile, Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Dunstain Mwaungulu is in agreement with the move by the council but contends that the exercise should also target motor vehicles sellers on open grounds by requiring that they should have trading licences as well importing licences.
He also said importers of whatever amount or goods should get a Malawi Revenue Authority taxpayer identification number (TPIN) detailing the type of goods imported.
Justice Mwaungulu suggests that the City Council should open up the Chikwawa road area between Stella Marris and Mpemba to build modern day shops for medium and large businesses for renting.
Mwaungulu says the targeted clientele should not be based racism or discrimination but to target indigenous Malawians; indigenous mixed Asian and Caucasion.
“Limbe is essentially Asian shopping area where they even impose strict drinking and pork conditions for rent to companies and African small businesses,” says Mwaungulu.
“Blantyre is 75% Caucasian and 25% Asian. There are dots and dots of Press Corporation and former MDC investment because, in the absence of viable African entrepreneurship, Kamuzu’s policy was to share the business through statutory corporation and private entity — Press Corporation.
“Kamuzu’s policy was not to nationalise but to accommodate indigenous African business competition with the dominant Asian and Caucasian business.
“That policy vanished when politically and unconstitutionally the government passed the Press Trust Reconstruction Act on poor advice on property rights in the Press Corporation or Press Trust.”
He further contends that the City Council, through its Town Planning Authority and Quinqilinil Courts — using its legislative powers and judicial powers — should declare from now on that it will not allow new constructions on the Chipembere Highway and other important streets there for business premises of less than 5 stories.
He said the City Council should give those already on these streets five years to comply and After 5 years, the Central Government can use the Compulsory Acquisition Act.
Meanwhile, there have been mixed reactions to the decision to remove the vendors from the streets as others believe that with the high rate of unemployment, the authorities should have first invested in better markets.
Otherwise, other schools of thought believe, can escalate strong resistance that can lead to mass demonstrations and also create a political bomb for the future.
In his comment on Facebook, Lovemore Kaunga said there is the need remove them to preserve some decency on the cities but there should be a deliberate move to create proper space to accommodate them.
“Removing should not mean killing their businesses, no! The core purpose of vending is to sustain livelihood so do not push them out just for the sake of doing so.
“They are where they are because they have nowhere else to go. So government should find space for them first and move them. This is my understanding,” he said.
Social commentator Idriss Ali Nassah cried for Blantyre which was once one of the cleanest cities in Africa, but not any more.
“Today, street vendors are everywhere; you step out of Topman into a pavement full of tomatoes, fresh and dried fish and, even, a man sitting over a mbaula roasting fresh maize for sale.
“The downtown is rundown. Rubbish lies uncollected for days on end, vehicles are left parked anyhow and minibus drivers and their attendant call-boys are a menacing law unto themselves.
“Added to this is the new nuisance of Sienta vehicles — now used as public transport — that have appropriated for themselves portions of the street at Nandos, across the road at Mt Soche Hotel, near First Capital Bank and at several other places.
“These rogues now effectively own and run the streets, while those with the power to bring law and order unto the streets pretend that they are powerless to do anything about it. It’s a free for all.”
He concluded that cleaning up the city streets will not be easy and the solution won’t be simple, but it has to be done and “if nothing is done now, Malawi will be left counting the cost of lawlessness, decay and disfunction for years to come”.
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I would suggest car vendors should be charged. K20’000 for each car sold and such money should be collected through road traffic.
Are u sure that road traffic will keep the records clear
Coz 20000 plus fanta
It will cost more
The whole process is like agalu mwangowataya azimbanga zawo. Sanity is important anywhere. Malawians lets ve civilised osakhala ngati zitsilu
.,
Vendors think that they can do anything they want. Bravo Blantyre City Council. Why should our cities look like a house with bats or a bed with bed bugs. People also throw wastes anywhere they want. This lawlessness which is initiated by politicians must end. The parking of cars is chaotic as well. Other countries have parkades or multistorey building that are used as car parks and people park cars at a cost per hour. Development is not free. Some people have nothing to do in towns or cities yet the rural ares have vast lands which is not fully utilized. Look at the lands which Crown grabbed along Zalewa. Look at the land that is being grabbed along Kasiya new road. What is the point of clinging to city life.
The problem with Malawi in general is that whenever the new president of the country comes in, the rules of law are not followed accordingly. For instance Kamuzu Banda had very good plans for raising up the new buildings into almost ten stories. Bakili Muluzi made all plans out and all the Indians built according to what they wanted as long as they will make billions of money in the sleepy country like Malawi. The Indians were the first people to go and see Mr Muluzi and came very close to him. Bingu tried all his best during his first term of office and the same Indians were again very close to him and al the plans he got varnished. We can not talk about JB as things slightly improved. Then came Peter Mutharika when all plans were worse and every minister wanted to use the opportunity for richness, PAYERE PAYERE. This time Chakwera has risen into power and the same Indians have already made an appointments with the president and they are just waiting to be called. A MALAWI what is our problem, perhaps poverty or what?
Who amongst you can come forward and tell me that Indians were on the line to vote for either Chakwera or Peter and yet they claim to be indigenous Malawians. Instead therefore, they close their shops and drive off to the lake or in a different country in the absence of Coronavirus. Let me tell you this; all those victimized this time many of them voted one President into power or not. Many Indians are untouchables and yet they make billions out of kwachas out of their shabby buildings. Malawians, many borders are almost opened now and go and see for yourself Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and you cannot talk of South Africa. Good buildings and one admires and yet the Indians are there too. The bottom lane here abiding the LAWS of that Country. One cannot go to South Africa and buy a building anyhow. But in Malawi many outside companies came here with money and managed to buy buildings and make them head office. SHAME! SHAME ! A MALAWI.
Observer mission
Infastructure can be resolved
But first thing thereis no safety
We cant make buildings without buglarbars
If streetlights can be robbed at night
Road signs can be robbed
How can u asure that building made with glass glazes can be protected.
If aluminuin steel bins get thugged
How is it possible to keep city tidy
When an indian suffers loss
Does the government help
Remember the post 2019 election looting of lilongwe town
Who supported them
Remeber one thing
You cant clap with a single hand
U need both hands to clap
Similarly not only indians break rules
Even malawian
Plz check
Dont just point one finger on someone
Other three fingers always point behind
If we stay united we make great malawi
If we bring difference
Then we see problema
And about infrastructural development. The Asian terrorist fucks should have their buildings marked x demolished. Bingu anayamba planniyi and also talked about minimum storeys of buildings in the cities, these foreigners anandikwana, the likes of Jussab, Sattar and the other fucks. Mugwese ma buiding amene aja. Or apo mubwerere wherever the fuck your ancestors came from. Malawians of Asian Origin my shitty asshole, sinu amalawi and you can never be!
Why are you so bitter? Work on yourself my guy. Improve your life, let go of this unnecessary anger.
Terrorist????
Ti mbwerera koma thavina musa rire to
We can make new building no problem
But until those new building are made u will feed our employers.we can go for holiday.
If we build 5 storey building we will need proper parking
Already ther is no parking in town .
We can go back to our country
We will take along what belongs to us machinerries .
Also if ur talking about ancestors dont forget that most tribes from malawi came from neighbouring countries.
Plz
Lets unite and wirk together
If wanna follow idi amin
U can read the aftermath of ugandan history aftet idi amin
You can build those 5 or more storey’s buildings with underground parking facilities.
That just increases the cost
Underground parking
Also underground parking for heavy vehicles will be difficult
Underground parking also reqiures properplaning
Becoz we got sewage lines
And waterpipes that have to sorted
Ur statements reek with ignorance…am not sure if u recognisd that..
Statement made was to make him realise that together we can
Unity is key to success
If we keep blaming each other we wont climb the ladder
Banana Republic aliyense angopanga zoti zimuyendere kuti apaze zoti adye lero. Zikhala zovuta kuti boma la Tonse alliance lilamulire chili chonse or chitakhala chabwino chotani ndi mmene anatengera ulamuliro la boma ndipo zitengera ulamulira wamphamvu kuti boma limene liramulire. Ndipo ma zoti kuli anthu ena amene anapita ku School kukapanga zoti akuti Town Planning siziooneka. Kutengera ndikamangidwe kokhako. A Bakili ndi amene anaononga zonse panopa ndi Bona limeneli linatimphunzitsa a Malawi mwano ndiye pano ali pampando kumangodya ndalama chifukwa akuopa kupangiridwa ma Demo. Ndiye asiyeni anthu apange zomwezo.
The subject is well covered. Komano the editing is very poor. Typographical errors kuti mbwembwe. Pena ndithu grammar kuvuta. Sentence construction kuvutiratu. Aaaa Nyasatimes please improve. Here in Malawi you are more reliable for balanced news. We dont wait for Zodiak or Times or MBC but we come here for updates. Please help us to have a better reading experience. Penanso zimawonetsa seriousness mukalemba chizungu chabwino.
This is not good day for vendors
But it is necessary….
We need to bring back law and order. The bakili ilitracy has to end. Not only vendors but also the ugly looking buildings in limbe should be removed.
Vendors are Malawians and the government of Malawi through City Authorities need a proper engagement process to find space that can be build and accomodate them to do their trading. Its a fact Limbe is heavily congested and I dont know where the authorities can move the people to. We need to open up malo ngati Chiradzulo, Mulanje, Phalombe, Chikwawa and Mwanza that they must have shops and services that people throng to Limbe for. As of now everyone goes to Limbe hence the congestion as everyone wants to go to Limbe.
What engagement? Anawamangira ma flee msrket panakwana
The flea market is very small compared to the number of vendors and inamangidwa ngati kogulitsa vegetables kapena nsomba by design which does not fit into how ma vendor amapangila business.
I really love your wishful thinking.
Phalombe mwanza as Limbe replacement?
Osaopa kuganiza but you should know the reason there is huge vending in Limbe it is because many people come there. Most of the people who buy and sell their merchandise are from mainly Mulanje, Thyolo, Phalombe, Chiradzulo and Zomba. If we start building towns in remore areas, there wont be any need to travel to Limbe and these vendors willl start going back to such areas. The time Luchenza and Number one were towns fans used to patronize such areas hence my idea.
Aboma akambe ndi a Fargo kuti apereke malo kwa kachere coz malo amene aja akungokhala while anthu tikupanikizana muLimbe.
Bolani that space.