Malawians in Mzimba are openly defecating in unfinished buildings.
The M’mbelwa District Council has since demolished unused shops at Matabwa market which were being used as toilets and rubbish dumps.
The council says it has done this to prevent the spread of cholera.
Speaking to the local media, council official Reuben Moyo and market committee chairperson Fikani Nyirenda said the council had been warning the owners of the buildings to keep the buildings clean but the warning were not being adhered to.
However, the demolition of the buildings has angered owners of the property.
One of the owners Chrissy Shonga told the local media she used 800,000 Kwacha to construct her shop which she wanted to be renting out.
The Ministry of Health has been encouraging councils to be inspecting places such as markets to ensure that cholera prevention measures are being observed.
Malawi has recorded 26,263 cholera cases since March last year and the disease has killed 852 people over the same period.
Mzimba South only registered four cases of cholera in September last year and the patients were treated as outpatients.
Follow us on Twitter:
