05 Feb 2014

Vendors in Francistown have accused the city council of abandoning them after they were informed that they will have to make way for a planned development project on the council-owned premises on which they are currently operating.

The street vendors, who are operating from the Francistown central market, were given two weeks to have vacated their premises. One of the vendors, Mr Mogomotsi Moleele, who has been operating his electronics repair business from the market since 2005, complained that they were given little time to have vacated the premises.

He said he had not been able to contact some of his customers to inform them about the change of place. “Many of them have not been able to come and collect their items. We have not been able to notify them about the change of place because we are not even sure where we are going,” he said.

Mr Moleele said he would not be able to move his workshop to an alternative place as he had no temporary storage facility. He however admitted that the council informed them of the envisaged development as far back as 2007, and suggested a few alternative places where the vendors market would be moved.

He said the vendors rejected a suggestion by the council that they should relocate to a place along the Francistown/Ramokgwebana road, saying the place was crime infested and not suitable for their business.

He stated that they had been informed that the council had decided to relocate them to the horticulture market near the Department of Fire Services. Ms Rebecca Machinga had been selling vegetables from the vendors market since 2000.

In all these years, she had never failed to pay the council her monthly rental fee of P63.15. Ms Machinga viewed the relocation as a drastic development that would cripple her long running business and drive her into poverty.

“We were told to leave the market because the council has sold the premises to some businessman. Sadly the city council did not find an alternative market for us. We don’t have a problem with new developments; we just feel that the council just abandoned us without offering us an alternative. They didn’t even give us enough time to vacate the market place,” she said.

When responding to the vendors concerns, Francistown mayor, Mr James Kgalajwe said the vendors were consulted about the envisaged relocation as far back as 2003, before he took the mayoral office.

He explained that all along the council had been frequently consulting the vendors to update them about developments and prepare them for moving out.

“In fact they should have moved last year December, but we extended the time to this year. The private developer was not happy with that decision, and he was right because the vendors had been given more than enough time. In any case the vendors have not been left in the lurch as they will be moved to the horticulture market,” said Mr Kgalajwe. ENDS