Mzuzu and Lilongwe vendors complain of neglect by government

Compiled by Gloria Masanza. 

Traders who recently lost their merchandise to fire accidents in the cities of Lilongwe and Mzuzu are calling on government to establish a trust fund for them, as they have done with their counterparts in Ndirande-Blantyre
 
Local government and rural development minister George Chaponda announced the establishment of a fund for vendors who lost their goods in a fierce fire that razed down Ndirande market on Monday last week.
 
Four million kwacha has been provided by president Bingu wa Mutharika towards the fund.
 
Apart from the four million kwacha provided by the president, another ten million kwacha has also been identified from well-wishers.
 
And reacting to this  development, vendors who lost goods during recent fires at the Matabwa and Tsoka markets in Mzuzu and Lilongwe respectively, have criticised  government of neglecting them.
 
Random interviews conducted by this reporter in Lilongwe and Mzuzu, the vendors described the move by the authorities as a sign of favoritism.
 
Others suggested that government should extend the assistance to all vendors, whose merchandise were damaged during recent fire accidents.
 
They said there was no difference among the vendors, since all of them make their living through vending, so government should not favour the Ndirande vendors only.
 
Other markets which were also destroyed by fire are Zomba and Nkhata-Bay.
 
However, local governemnt minister George Chaponda has called on authorities in the construction industry, to be more careful when constructing markets and other buildings of public occupation, so as to avoid accidents of this nature.
 
He also asked people to avoid illegal tapping of electricity, as the tendency also put people's lives at risk.