By Samuel Kalimira:
Street vendors in Mzuzu are shunning a flea market, seven years after it was officially commissioned.
The government and Press Trust funded the construction of the market to the tune of K106 million.
However, Mzuzu vendors’ vice chairperson, Gertrude Kasambala, said they were reluctant to relocate because of a poor road network leading to the market site.
“At first, some vendors were saying that the market was constructed at a wrong place which is not good for business. Now, they have added that customers who have vehicles cannot access the market because the road is always bad. It is our plea that the council should consider tarmacking the road so that vendors can come and start selling their merchandise in the market,” Kasambala said.
Mzuzu City Council Chief Executive Officer, Macloud Kadam’manja, said they would reason with the vendors to leave the streets and relocate to the market.
“We hope that soon we will relocate the vendors without using force but by reasoning with them on the importance of them relocating to the new market. We talked with their leaders on how best to relocate them,” Kadam’manja said.
One of the vendors, Daniel Mkandawire, said the market was not conducive for business.
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