Magufuli orders Mwanza city to stop evicting petty traders

ONLINE REPORTER

PRESIDENT John Magufuli today directed authorities to stop evicting petty traders in towns and cities with immediate effect—especially in Mwanza.

Dr Magufuli directed Permanent Secretary of President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government(Poralg) to full supervise the exercise.
President said in statement that municipal authorities should first create special areas for petty traders (machingas) before removing them from existing trading areas.
He gave a strong warning that whoever official fails to implement the directive should step down immediately.
"There is a tendency of some RCs and DCs and directors to remove petty traders and allocating them at a far unfamiliar business place.
“Others evict artisan miners and cattle keepers from their areas of activities.That is not right,” President Magufuli said.
The president said he doesn’t want Machingas to operate on pedestrian walkways but there is no a law that prohibits them to trade in city or town centres.
“If we start putting borders on where petty traders to operate we are creating division among citizens, those who are supposed to operate in town and those in suburbs…” he said.
He said Mwanza petty traders should go back to their trading area until the city fathers allocate appropriate area for them. The president and vice president Samia Hassan Suluhu were directing Poralg Deputy Minister Suleiman Jaffo and the ministry PS Eng Mussa Iyombe at statehouse today.