By Elwin Chibankhuni and Ronald Tchale
Mzuzu, February 11, Mana: Mzuzu City Council (MCC) has reiterated its call for vendors who ply their trade outside the city’s markets to relocate to designated marketing areas.
The council has for times been engaging the vendors to stop plying trade along the city’s streets, as the malpractice compromises the city’s cleanliness.
In an interview on Friday, Public Relations Officer for MCC, McDonald Gondwe said the vendors’ actions counteracts the council’s efforts in ensuring order and sanity in business operations in the city.
“We already offered the vendors Ndata Market structures, but we wonder why they insist on trading along the streets and corridors of shops.
They generate a lot of waste which they dispose anyhow. What they should know is that illegal vending will always remain illegal,” Gondwe said.
Gondwe however said the council is working with Mzuzu Police Service to ensure that vendors comply to all the by- laws of the council.
In his remarks, Chairperson for Mzuzu Central Market, Alexander Sikwese that that illegal vending affected sales in the market as most customers are used to buy from the illegal vendors.
“Our business performance is compromised as customers, most of the times prefer to buy from these illegal vendors outside the market.
This problem has been around for so long. It’s high time the council comes up with a workable strategy to address this issue other than just issuing out warnings,” said Sikwese.
Reacting to the issue, one of the vendors who plies her trade along one of the streets in the city, Mary Phiri said that Ndata Market is not ideal for business.
“We could spend more than two days without selling anything. How does the council expect us to feed our families?,” Phiri questioned.
