Ministers leave Mzuzu fire victims in suspense
They came, saw and left victims of the Sunday night fire with no clue how government will intervene to prevent the devastating accidents from hitting Mzuzu Market again.
With tentative findings showing 911 vendors lost goods estimated at K298 million (US$725 061) when fire gutted the market three days ago, some of the victims confessed being left in suspense following visits by Deputy Minister of Defence Japi Mhango on Monday and his Local Government and Rural Development counterpart Tracisio Gowelo yesterday.
During their respective visits, the two ministers did not come out clear whether they will take their predecessors path to re-open the market for vendors to start rebuilding or the long-awaited challenge of shutting it down to pave way for city council’s plans to reconstruct the shops with bricks, metal bars and other fire-resistant material.
Addressing the business community, Gowelo eulogised “the backward step in Mutharika’s dream” to construct modern markets nationwide.
But when asked for the way forward, Gowelo said: “There are no overnight answers to a tragedy of this magnitude. We will go to the drawing board to get to the bottom of the matter and see if the design of the market must be addressed.”
In an interview yesterday, vendors committee chairperson Stanley Simbeye said he did not understand how government was going to help them.
