Vendors in Ndirande Township, Blantyre City, Thursday protested Blantyre City Council (BCC)’s decision to demolish their shops, which were under construction.
On Wednesday night, BCC officials, in the company of police, demolished structures belonging to over 90 people.
The structures were being constructed behind St Andrews International High School along the Ndirande- Nyambadwe Road.
The development irked the vendors, who blocked the road in protest against the decision.
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Chairperson for the vendors, Sinoya Jassi, said they were shocked with the council’s decision.
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“We have been asking for permission to construct [structures] at this place since 2017. And we officially wrote the city council this year, and they referred us to our ward councillor. The councillor gave us the go-ahead and that is why we started constructing structures,” Jasi said.
Councillor for the area, Lawrence Semani, said he was not informed about the council’s decision.
“As a representative of the people, I was supposed to get prior notice about the council’s decision but that was not the case. These people got permission and that is why they went on to construct their shops there,” Semani said.
The vendors later mobilised themselves and went to BCC, where they were addressed by Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman.
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In a separate interview, Osman said they had agreed to physically visit the site.
“We told them that they were constructing on an illegal place and we have agreed to go there tomorrow [today] so that we can agree on how to go about it. They have presented their issues and we will come up with a decision on the issue,” he said.
