Illegal vending worries Blantyre City Council

Blantyre City Council (BCC) says illegal vending continues to affect its collection of revenue to develop the commercial city and keep it clean.

BCC public relations manager Anthony Kasunda told Malawi News Agency (Mana) in an interview that illegal vending contributes to littering as people buy and sell their merchandise in undesignated places, making the city look untidy.

“We are affected negatively because vendors do not have permanent designated places where city council officials could go and collect market fees, as such, we are losing substantial amounts of revenue which could have been used to develop the city,” he said.

Kasunda said it is high time people took ownership of the city by ensuring that they are plying their trade in designated areas.

He said the council continues to explore long-term plans that include introducing by-laws to punish those trading and buying from the streets.

“We believe if we institute those by-laws, customers will not be buying from the streets. Equally, vendors will not trade in the streets,” he said. —Mana