By Stella Mwalwanda

Mzuzu, September 16, Mana: Carpentry and joinery business owners operating along the Mzuzu –Lubinga M1 Road near Zigwagwa Market, Monday morning woke up to their surprise finding their market shelters and products destroyed by the Mzuzu City Council (MCC) for operating at the premises illegally.

Following the directive from the Town and Planning Committee, the MCC has been demolishing business properties which are elected in illegal places within its jurisdiction and the council has vowed to continue with the exercise.

In an interview, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for MCC, McDonald Gondwe said the council was just doing their job to ensure sanity in the city.

“As a council, we promote responsible development in the city according to Local Governing Act, which allows all business operators including Small and Medium Enterprises to engage with the council for proper market space allocation and any develop on such spaces must be line with our urban structure plan and acquire proper certification of occupation once everything is settled,” he said.

Gondwe added that the council followed proper action plan and communication to notify and warn the owner of the place through written notices and some public announcements but the owner did not make any communication to the tenants.

One of the carpenters who is affected the development, Benson Mthini said that the carpenters wished they were notified either by the council or their landlord.

“We clearly don’t know what to do next, our businesses are destroyed and neither do we know how to replace the damaged pieces of furniture destroyed in the demolition exercise,” he said.

The business operators who sell carpentry products such as chairs, tables and sofa sets among other have since requested the council to relocate them a proper and permanent place for their operation.