Vendors return to demolished market

Vendors have defied Blantyre City Assembly (BCA) orders to vacate the premises outside Blantyre Flea Market because they are not a designated market place.
Over 60 vendors have since returned to the place, some four months after city officials burnt the ramshackle structures at the place to ashes in a mid-night raid that took vendors by surprise.
Secretary for the vendors committee, Lukas Salima, told Nyasa Times they have decided to go back because BCA has failed to give them another place.
“Most of us depend on this (vending) for our survival, and had nowhere to go after that operation. Imagine some of us even lost property worth over K300, 000 and had to go and raise new capital. It will be sad if the assembly comes to demolish our structures again,” said Salima.
Some of the vendors have already put up more ramshackle structures, and business seems to have gone back to normal.
But BCA Chief Executive Officer, Lycester Bandawe, said the assembly will continue to up root structures in undesignated market structures, and warned the vendors of more trouble should they stick to their guns.
“The main reason behind their decision, I think, is to run away from paying (city) market rates. These people always refuse to pay their rates, saying they are plying in undesignated places. We will make sure they move out of the place,” said Bandawe.