Inspectors seal four shops in Mzuzu

A nationwide operation to flush out illegal traders has led to closure of four shops in Mzuzu.

Since Friday, officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry have been conducting a joint inspection of business premises with the Department of Immigration, Malawi Police, Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) and Competitions and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) to restore sanity.

On Tuesday, Rwandan Ernest Usingimana’s Users Enterprise, which stocks bales of second-hand clothes, became the fourth shop to be sealed for operating without a business licence.

During the crackdown, immigration officials also arrested Usingimana’s compatriot Parfait Bizimana for wrongfully working as a shopkeeper having obtained a visitor’s visa at Songwe Border when he entered the country on January 9.

In an interview, trade officer Noel Shema said it is pleasing many traders in the city are complying with trade laws, but called for more awareness targeting some who seem unaware of how to get business permits which cost K60 000 for wholesale and retail shops.

“Most shops have documents and licences, but others just need to renew theirs. As for Users and other shops closed, we will pursue the matter with the ministry and other relevant authority to make sure an appropriate action is taken,” said Shema, who led the team in the North.

Among the common contraventions, Shema said the multispectral inspection team had encountered foreign investors who erroneously get licences from the city council instead of the Ministry of Industry and Trade as required by law.

Blackwell Lungu, the regional public relations officer for Immigration, said Bizimana was the first illegal worker nabbed in the week-long random checks.

“His case is not very common because we often conduct sweeping operations in the city. Working without a temporary employment permit is a criminal offence. This means the suspect will be detained pending trial. If he is found guilty, the court will fine him accordingly and he will be deported instantly.”

Bizimana, whose visit was expiring on April 9, said he felt “totally ill-treated”, saying: “It would be better if there was teamwork among security agents rather than having the police and immigration officers demanding different papers from foreigners.”