Hundreds of vendors who ply their trade around the Blantyre flea market premises had a rude awakening Tuesday morning when they went to their place of business only to be greeted by burnt down trading benches. (Picture by Tobias Kumwenda)This followed joint police and Blantyre City Assemblys (BCA) raid last night on all business places erected outside the proper flea market situated right in the middle of the city.
BCA sources told Nyasa Times that the move to raze down the shacks was largely a political decision and may extend to other townships like Zingwangwa, Ndirande, Bangwe, Chilomoni, Lunzu, Chirimba and other places.
The source indicated that the city will in turn benefit because this means that the vendors will now be forced to operate within the flea market.
However, most of the victims that Nyasa Times reporter has talked to expressed dismay with the governments decision to demolish business structures of very poor people who have resorted to vending because they are not able to secure gainful employment.
Some have compared the decision to Zimbabwes Operation Murambatsvina that Mugabe had used to chase the urban poor most of who supported the then opposition MDC.
The market cannot accommodate all of us, it is already too full and we decided to erect these benches because weve nowhere to do our business. The city of Blantyre still collects revenue from us and from everyone and even those selling vegetables outside the market pay.
This is really sad development were being ill-treated for no apparent reason as if were not Malawians, cried Juma Shaibu who runs a restaurant take away.
Enifa Taimu a second hand clothes vendor who was all in tears at the time of interview said BCA and police set the property on fire without notifying them and she described the move as illegal.
How do you set somebodys property on fire without even giving that person a notice?yes, I agree we may be outside the market, but inside the flea market there is no space, where do they expect us to go? When they removed us from the streets it was something we understood because it was a cleaning excise..this government is very unfair and very inhumane to its own citizens, lamented Taimu amid sobs.
A Mr. Mvahiwa who also sells chips and soft drinks also complained bitterly saying that, this is really another Zimbabwe and we are paying for our sins in voting this government again because we knew that they would chase us without giving us a hearing and without consideration that were also Malawians who are vending because we cannot find a job.
I have a diploma in mechanical engineering obtained in 1980 and since David Whitehead was privatised Ive not been able to find a job, but I have nine children and 15 orphans to look after, concluded Mvahiwa who also claimed that he was a victim of Operation Dongosolo.
A hardware vendor Dexter Nawerenga told Nyasa Times he got wind of the operation from his cousin who works at the Blantyre police. However, he treated the issue as a mere rumour.
He confessed that he was surprised upon learning from a fellow vendor who advised him that the market had been set ablaze by the police and the city of Blantyre on instructions from above.
I have lost everything. Some of the items were obtained on loan from some Asian shops with a hope that Ill pay back the loan after selling but now my life is completely destroyed because Ill not be able to pay the school fees for my children and I also have a sick mother to attend to at QECH. Government should have been reasonable and considerate, cried Nawerenga who also claimed that until Shire bus lines was closed in 2006 where he worked as bus inspector, he has not found any job.
Nyasa Times talked to some members that were involved in the operation, most of whom were very scared to talk to the online newspaper for fear of reprisals.
The City operative confessed that this was a directive from above and that the operation could have taken place late last year, but because of the campaign the ministers had agreed to carry out the operation after the May 19 so that vendors do not vote against the DPP.
The officials also revealed that this operation will cover the whole country and that a similar operation to the red style that was carried out during the Kamuzu Banda era has already been agreed upon.
Meanwhile, most of the affected vendors are still loitering around the market and there is huge police presence around the flea market.
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