Lilongwe City Council clash with chiefs over allocations of market plots
Vendors and people living around Area 22B market in Lilongwe chased away city officials and police who came to allocate plots at Area 22B market because the vendors claimed they were not informed of the activity and suspected foul play by the city officials.
The city officials who wanted to allocate the market to vendors of the area and those from St Johns (Area 36) were stoned by Area 22 vendors forcing the officials and police to flee the area.
Chiefs and vendors of Area 22B claimed that the market is a community market and belongs to them such that they could not share with strangers (St Johns Area 36 vendors) as city officials had arranged.
Group village headman Kwenda told LINA that Lilongwe City Council has no right over the ownership of the market and they were not happy with the Assembly’s directive of reallocating St Johns vendors to Area 22 market.
Kwenda said the villagers applied for the market from government 20 years ago and it is a community market and that all the powers to do with the market are in the hands of the villagers surrounding the market.
“We are not happy with Assembly’s directive to re-allocating St Johns vendors in this market because the officials don’t have mandate over this land. This market was given to us 20 years ago as a community market,” explained Kwenda
He added: “Despite the place being very small to accommodate vendors from St Johns as well, about 500 families depend on this market.”
Kwenda alleged that the villagers sent back authorities from the city council because they don’t want to accept the reality that the market belongs to the villagers.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the vendor from St Johns, disclosed that they have been conducting meetings with the city authorities to allocate them another place for their market and not Area 22 market.
He said during their meeting last week at civic offices, they again applied for a bigger place at Chakhoma, in area 36 where there is enough space and conducive for business saying area 22 is far from St Johns in area 36 and not good for business.
He revealed that city officials turned down their request.
Meanwhile Lilongwe Council has postponed the allocation of Area 22B market possibly to solve the wrangle amicably.
In January this year, Lilongwe City Council demolished shops of vendors at area 22B market claiming they were illegally obtained, a development which angered the chiefs and vendors in the area.
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I ask all city councils in Malawi to be proactive. The land in our cities is becoming scarce and yet the city councils cannot think of finding places for markets now before it is too late. Build brick fence, provide water and electricity. Empower private sector to construct toilets for minimal fees. Don’t chase people without giving them a proper place. People at St Johns Market have faced many problems from Lilongwe City Council and need to solve them now.
Bravo chief you have to fight for your people,osati anthu kuchokera Burundi kukuberani malo ndi mabizinesi mdzina la city ai.Chinanso kwathu kuno umbuli sutha ai olo munthu aphunzire bwanji mutati mufufuze zonse mukuti malamulozi ndi zobwelekera ku maiko ena zanu mudzazichita promote liti?
lilongwe city council officials are stupid and they don’t know what they are doing.You can’t impose strangers on on an already angry community.Remember you pulled down and destroyed their shops not long time ago saying the land is for a different purpose not amarket
GOVT should solve all these petty issues surround our cities councils, people working in all these offices are all useless and corrupt and that is why our cities look like dumpsites. please Mr VP do some major reforms in these offices and send all the deadwood “brainless workers” to early retirement and then put young bloods with latest innovations in their minds then you will see big change. we are tired of these corrupt people Mr President please do some thing now so our cities can development to be beautifull cities.
Please inu a city do not succumb to law breakers. Chiefs or block leaders smoke them out! Asatikwane
Eeeeeeeh mfumu yopusa chon hi ndiyakuti?
umbuli mafumu a Ku area 22 malo ndi a city. ndipo. angowa vera chisoni .mbuli ndi a yemwe saziwa . brovo city musawasiye life zimatinyasa .you don’t even pay city rate. muwafunse a kwendawo . kupusa basis ndi ufiti
I need to be educated here; do we have mafumu in town or block leaders and what is their limitation as far as the law is concerned?
Can they really overwrite the decisions of the city council
Koma abale umbuliu wafika pochisa manyazi Ku Malawi?
Just provide them a good market site for their businesses
Bvuto a city ango khala ofa mintu to remove venders it is easy just remove main Bus deport to along this new bypass road all venders will follow there.