Street vendors face eviction in Lilongwe
The Ministry of Local Government and vendors’ representatives in the capital, Lilongwe on Wednesday agreed to immediately stop illegal vending along the streets.
Deputy Minister of Local Government Godfrey Kamanya, who also attended the meeting which was also attended by representatives of the police and Minibus Owners Association of Malawi, said what remains now is for key stakeholders to decide on logistics and dates for the operation.
Delegates to the discussions agreed that eviction of the vendors should be done immediately.
Chairperson for the vendors association, George Banda, also confirmed the need for the clean-up.
He said: “We want the vendors to be evicted within one or two days. We would have loved the operation to take place tomorrow [Thursday].” Lilongwe City Council chief executive officer Richard Hara said the council and line officials will set the deadline for the eviction while giving the vendors prior warning.
He, however, faulted the vendors for infighting over leadership position whose result is that some vendors have gone into the streets as a show of defying the incumbent chairperson Banda who deposed James Yelayela.
