Maravi

L/stone marketeers team up to buy land

L/stone marketeers team up to buy land
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Tuesday April 15, 2008 [04:00]

LIVINGSTONE marketeers have bought a five hectare farm land to be used as a market in Nottie Brodie area to avoid being taken to another place which is not their choice. This follows their eviction from Maramba's Tandabale market by the police. Spokesperson for the marketeers Godfrey Funyina said the traders raised K50 million to purchase the land situated near Porters House Church and appealed to the council to help service the land.

"After being evicted, we had to wait for the council to allocate us trading land and we suggested Villa grounds and the area near Linda Catholic church but the council told us that these places had already been given out. So we engaged lawyers and in the process found somebody who was selling off his land which we have bought for K50 million from Vaira Muma," he said.

Funyina said that the traders did not agree with the council's decision to allocate them land in Libuyu which he termed as a dangerous place due to the deaths of many people in the Mulamba stream early this year.

According to a letter dated 8th April written to Livingstone town clerk George Kalenga from MAK Partners and copied to Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe, the marketeers stated that they did not want the Libuyu land because it was almost on the bed of Maramba stream and usually got flooded.

In response, Kalenga in a letter dated 10th April, stated that the council would investigate the proposed piece of land to determine its suitability.

"As you know as a planning authority the council has zoned land for different uses and consideration has to be taken for the compatibility of land use visa-a-vis other residents surrounding the area," he stated.

Kalenga indicated that while the investigations were going on, the council would continue to develop the Libuyu site to decongest traders on the streets.

Labels: MARKETEERS

posted by MrK @ 5:31 AM