Date Of Article: 11/28/2002
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Press Trust to hand over Lilongwe, Zomba flea markets
By: Joseph Langa
Press Trust, the financiers of flea markes in the country’s cities and the Municipality of Zomba, have said that Lilongwe and Zomba Flea Markets are ready and will be handed over to respective assemblies this week. Trust Executive Secretary Clement Chilingulo said in an interview on Monday that the markets will be handed over without benches, access roads and landscape, which he said the assemblies are supposed to provide. But the vendors in both Lilongwe and Zomba indicate that they will not occupy the markets until the benches have been constructed. Zomba Municipality Council Chief Executive Ernest Chatsika and Lilongwe City Assembly Public Relations Officer MacPherson Mdalla said on Tuesday their assemblies do not have the money to construct the benches. Chatsika said the benches are a worrisome matter to the council because the vendors have already told the council that they will not enter the market unless the benches are done. He said the council will require approximately K2.5 million to construct the benches in the market and it is thinking of asking for the Ministry of Local Government’s help. Mdalla said his assembly has already submitted the budget to the ministry and is waiting for the response. But both Mdalla and Chatsika said their assemblies are doing the landscape and the access roads although they said the work will not be of expected quality because of inadequate funds. Meanwhile Press Trust says it will not continue with the construction of the three remaining markets in Limbe, Mzuzu and another one in Lilongwe unless the Blantyre market and the other two which have been completed are occupied. Chilingulo said the Trust is concerned with the resistance of vendors to occupy the market in Blantyre. “We made our stand very clear to respective assemblies, especially Blantyre City Assembly, that we want to see the other markets occupied before any more markets could start being constructed. Otherwise we may end up building another white elephant,” he said. Meanwhile a random interview with vendors in Lilongwe indicates that the vendors agreed not to enter the market unless it is enough to cater for all the 1,600 vendors in the street. The vendors committee Chair could not be reached for comment on Wednesday but one of the committee members who attended the meeting, Mickson Chiwaya, said the vendors will only occupy the market if it is enough for all of them. “We held a meeting last week we resolved to enter the market only if all of us will fit into it or the assembly should allow the remaining vendors to remain on the streets,” Chiwaya said. Mdalla said the market can only accommodate 400 vendors.
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