Bravo vendors for operation

There seems to have been a new development on the initiative by authorities to remove vendors off the streets, which we have noted with keen interest.

It appears that vendors in Mzuzu who sell their merchandise at the flea market have emulated what the vendors in Lilongwe did last week, by teaming up with authorities to remove those vendors who sell their merchandise in the streets.

This development is noteworthy, as in the recent past, the exercise has been carried out only by authorities, that is the police and city council and resulted in ugly scenes, as vendors were uncooperative which led to the breakage of some shops thus endangering road users and pedestrians from the fracas that was caused.

According to the Vendors Association of Malawi (VAM) secretary (North) Zikani Moyo, flea market vendors decided to take the lead because street vendors have proved to be rude to officials.

Further, the boom in street vending became a security concern as we witnessed increased crime in the streets due to the resultant overcrowding.

It is in this regard, that we applaud the vendors who have taken up the role to partner authorities in this peaceful clean up exercise. Inasmuch as they have decided to undertake this responsibility to benefit their own businesses, the end result will benefit the citizenry at large.

We hope operation dongosolo which has its origins from Lilongwe now in Mzuzu, will be emulated across the country to help clean up our streets and decrease crime levels.