The Lilongwe City Council (LCC) has said it will start removing vendors from the streets on Tuesday.
The council said this in a statement on its Facebook page on yesterday.
According to the council, it will confiscate goods from vendors found in undesignated places in order to encourage the vendors to move to established markets and promote trade across various sectors.
“This is why the council provides various market centres for trade to operate from. Vendors are therefore encouraged to return to legalized trading areas so as to avoid losing their goods,” the council said.
It also added that the exercise will ensure orderliness and reduce congestion in the streets since at the moment there is an influx of vendors in the streets,
“Most pick-pockets and thieves are taking advantage to steal people’s goods and monies. [Street vendors] are blocking passage for both vehicles and pedestrians and also compromising sanitation,” the council said.
It then encouraged vendors to return to legalized trading areas so as to avoid losing their goods.
The council also advised consumers to buy from legal places as this will also assist in driving away vendors from illegal places.
“Moreover, there are a lot of counterfeit products on the streets ranging from: soap; toothpaste; shoe polish; electrical gadgets and drinks. This poses a great danger to both people’s health and the environment,” the council said.
