Africa-Press – Tanzania. PETTY traders association have expressed commitment to supporting ongoing exercise to relocate hawkers, commonly known as Machinga, lauding President Samia Suluhu Hassan for facilitating friendly relocation.
National vice chairman of the association, Steven Lusinde, said the President has demonstrated care for them by allocating 5bn/- to be used for setting up infrastructures for smoothly conducting their businesses.
“We are prepared to work with the government to ensure the success of this operation.” We also suggest that President Samia meets with us so that we can express our concerns, given that she has already met with a number of groups, including the elderly and women,” he said.
Regarding the evaluation of the relocation exercise, he stated that in the Dar es Salaam Region, the exercise went on without a hitch, thanks to the government allowing leaders of petty traders, also known as machingas, to educate and persuade their colleagues to move on their own, unlike in previous years when such exercises were marred by chaos and tears.
“We are asking the government to designate better and more accessible areas for us; therefore it’s critical to enhance road, water, energy, and sanitation services so that traders are more willing to relocate.” Let’s collaborate to build markets and locations where the government intends to send us; we are ready to help,” Mr Lusinde added.
He claimed that leaders of various regions had done a good job not only relocating traders but also convening frequent meetings. For example, the Morogoro region had completed the relocating exercise by 80 per cent.
He said the exercise is going smoothly in Arusha, Mbeya, and Iringa regions, with the exception of Mwanza, where he said there was a minor snag, but the Regional Commissioner has managed to keep things under control. In Kariakoo, there are around 13,000 petty traders who have yet to relocate.
They are still in talks with the Dar es Salaam regional government, he says, to ensure that traders from the city centre have a location to relocate. Petty traders in Arusha city have also expressed their willingness of being relocated to business designated areas.
Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, the traders said they were ready to heed to the government’s call of moving to areas, but on condition of being relocated as a group. On her part, Fatuma Omari said they would want to be put in the same business area, rather than being relocated at different places.
Speaking in Arusha on Sunday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan urged authorities to approach the petty traders’ relocation wisely, and find a lasting solution in relocating them.
