Vendors in Lilongwe City have welcomed the deployment of police officers in the streets with an aim of dealing with street vending.  

The development comes few days just after vendors marched to express their grievances over government`s directive to remove vendors from the streets.

Flea Market Vendors Chairperson Steve Magombo said the move by authorities to deploy security personnel is a positive development.

“We are satisfied with the presence of police in the streets, in fact we were the ones who approached them to help us in the fight against street vending,” said Magombo.

He added that the vendors are looking forward to be part of the discussions which President Lazarus Chakwera is set to have with Councilors in the city.

“We are hoping that the meeting between the President Lazarus Chakwera and Councilors will also consider us as vendors to be part of such discussions,” said Magombo.

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, Chakwera said it is impossible to build a new Malawi with beautiful cities if vendors and city authorities continue to treat each other as adversaries.

Chakwera has since pledged to host what he calls three strategic conferences with the Councilors of the three cities (Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre), beginning with the 27 Councilors of Lilongwe City over the next six months.