LL vendors reject proposal to relocate

Lilongwe City vendors, who were plying their trade in Lilongwe Central Market which got burnt last Friday, have rejected government’s proposal that they relocate to a temporary place to pave the way for the construction of a modern market.

During a meeting that lasted more than four hours organised by the Ministry of   Local Government and Rural Development and attended by city officials and traders on Saturday, the vendors shot down the proposal to relocate to Lilongwe Community Centre ground, insisting they will remain in the market until government constructs the modern one.

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Principal Secretary Stuart Ligomeka, Lilongwe City Council (LCC) staff and Malawi Police Service (MPS) officers proposed to the vendors to temporarily relocate to Lilongwe Community Centre ground as government wanted to start the construction of the new market immediately.

But speaking on behalf of the traders, secretary for Malawi Union for the Informal Sector, Daniel Kamala,dismissed the proposal, urging government and LCC to immediately start clearing the market so that they should resume their business.

The meeting later agreed that city officials should start clearing the market and that within the week vendors should organise themselves for a head-count as government is looking for ways to help them.  n