By Patience Lunda:
Mzuzu City Council (MCC) has demolished several shops owned by local businesspeople, such as carpenters, which were constructed along the M1 Road during the early hours of Monday.
A visit to the site revealed that MCC officials, accompanied by Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers, arrived with an excavator to carry out the demolition.
The action has caused frustration among affected business owners, many of whom claim they were not given prior notice to remove their goods before the demolition.
One of the affected carpenters, Maureen Nkhambule, said they feel let down by the council, as their goods were also destroyed along with the structures.
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“We could have at least saved some of our belongings if we had been notified. Instead, we received calls from our guards informing us that the council officials, accompanied by MDF soldiers, had demolished our shops. We are now at a loss,” she said.
Benson Mthini, another affected carpenter, said that they had been requesting the council to allocate them proper land since 2013, but to no avail.
“The land was idle and belonged to a particular businessman. We had been paying him rent and some used loans to establish our businesses, which has now severely impacted us,” he said.
Some business owners further alleged that the council had previously collected city rates from them and had permitted them to operate at the now-demolished site, making the council’s sudden action even more difficult to accept.
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Responding to the concerns, MCC spokesperson MacDonald Gondwe said the council was simply enforcing the law by demolishing the illegal wooden structures.
Gondwe then appealed to people, including investors, to consult the council whenever they wish to erect structures in the city.
“The council confirms that it has carried out an operation to remove illegal wooden structures along the M1 Road. This is a routine activity to clean up the city in accordance with the law.
“We urge people, including investors, to engage with the council whenever they wish to erect structures in the city,” he said.
Earlier this year, Lilongwe City Council also demolished structures built near a cemetery in the city’s Area 25.
