Malawi rural border residents chase Chinese traders: Ministry closes 23 shops
Business owners of Mchinji are up in arms against Chinese nationals who run shops at the border.
William Mbewe, one of the businessmen, told officials from Mchinji District Council to tell the Chinese get out of the Mchinji border trading area or else they risk facing unspecified action.
“They are not supposed to run shops here, they are supposed to be in cities and towns. They run business in cities and also run other businesses here in rural areas, which is unfair,” said Mbewe.
He said the council should close down the Chinese run shops to give chance to Malawians.
Martin Kumeta, Human Resources official at the council said the council would look into the matter.
The Chinese, alongside Burundians and Rwandans sell clothes and shoes, competing with Malawian traders.
The law, as amended in 1994, gives chance to people of other nationalities trade any where in Malawi including rural areas.
It was amended after first head of state Kamuzu Banda chased Asians away from trading in rural areas and restricted them to trade in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Industry Trade and Tourism on Tuesday closed 23 shops owned by foreign nationals in an inspection exercise conducted in Mchinji and Dowa districts respectively for allegedly not operating with proper documents and not in designated places.
Deputy Director responsible for Domestic Trade in the Ministry, Charity Musonzo said through the exercise the Ministry was enforcing the 2014 business licensing act which guides how non Malawians are supposed to conduct business in the country.
“We have so far closed 23 shops those especially owned by Non-Malawians in two districts here in Mchinji and Dowa at Mponera Trading centre in an exercise the Ministry has conducted in two days.
“Actually we are enforcing the business licenses in the Act which came into force in 2014 after passing of the business licensing regulations and we have found that the closed shops had no proper documents for business operations,” she said.
Musozo said according to the 2014 Act of business licensing regulations Non-Malawian business operators have their designated places in the country like among others Blantyre City Council, Lilongwe City Council, Mzuzu City Council, Zomba City Council, Luchenza Municipality Council and Kasungu Municipality Council.
“These Non-Malawians business owners have their designated places where to operate their respective businesses; so if we the ministry found a person or any business person operating outside those designated places they are supposed to move out and operate where they are supposed to operate legally in the country,” she said.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Big Congratulation to Malawi-rural border residents for chasing neo-colonialists and imperialists traders who are in our country to exploit our people,while senior government officials including the President Peter Muthalika and his surrogates take bribes from these rats.This started when the worse thief Bingu Thom Muthalika was in power.For your information Malawians,our country has been mortgaged to the world’s most populated State of China.In other countries,it has taken chunks of fertile lands like Angola where oil is plentiful on par with the Middle East.Fellow Malawians and African brothers and sisters,we must be prepared for third war against foreign exploitation and domination.China… Read more »
Azipita kwao basi .pena kumaganiza
refugees should go back to camp and in Rwanda no war now. why our weak government is still keeping this so called hutsu who killed millions of Tutsi. Malawi is keeping Rwandan killers shame. Indian pay less Mk25000 per moon our government is silent on this thangata system.
Two corrections might be helpful regarding the Rwandans here. I leave near to them and have travelled alot in the their country on official missions and also in neighboring countries of Uganda and Kenya in east africa 1. The absence of an all out war doesn’t mean peace. Every people aspire to live in a peaceful and safe . I concur refugees should live in camps but , not all foreigners are refugees and some may even be given citizenship after assessment by authorities. 2. In their country it is not Hutu who killed Tutsi, this is a lie repeated… Read more »
This is the same old cry of Malawians who fail to do business and are only jealous of Foreigners! I’m sick to hear this nasty foolish jealousy.. Business is always competitive. The only thing Malawians know is to follow and copy what each other do.. For example if one person today start to sell tomatoes at the corner of a road and is proving successful you can be sure there will be others there trying to sell tomatoes also. Why not try to sell something else at a different road!. Malawians are ignorant and lack exposure or common business sense.… Read more »
you are not a Malawian stupid fool
We have failed to develop in the past 50 years. These foreigners that are doing businesses in rural areas are bringing development as well as creating employment to the local citizens.
Inu how do you develop when you don’t have the means? Anthu akumakulandani mwai woti mutukuke and you come and tell us nonsense kuti we have not developed in 50 years. All foreigners conducting trading businesses achoke basi we don’t want them. This exercise ya Min of Trade isathele Mchinji/Mponela ibwelenso muma town pano ife tikumava kununkha maBurundi nda Mwenye kuma dyelela. Whatever foreigner wants to conduct business in Malawi should go into manufacturing sector basi. Zinazi atisiyile tithana nazo tokha.
Paja munasiyila standard 7B mutatenga mimba?
do Malawians need training in how to conduct business? Here the technical schools can play avert vital role! we cant stand and watch our country being taken over by foreigners!
The Malawian Traders must learn to compete. They over price their goods and expect to make a killing. I am aware this comment will not go down well with my Compatriots , but the truth must be told. Kamuzu chased the Indians, and what were once Rural Growth Centres became derelict. The Law was ammended by Atcheya, after realising that we had badly goofed, when we chased the Indians from the rural areas, and here we are crying again. If the Law allows them to be there there is no reason why we should chase them. Let us not be… Read more »
Learn to compete chaniso inu aPhiri? Vincent muBurundi uja brings anapha anthu kuRwanda anamulipila ndalama zanyooo zija kubwela nazo kwathu kuno wayamba business mitengo akutsitsa zugwilizana kuti ndi ife aMalawi oti we get expensive loans from MFIs kuma bank ndi katapila to start business? Ma Burundi anapha ipha anthu kwawo akubwela kuno amagula ma minibus 20/20 zugwilizana kuti ndife aMalawi oti l am saving towards a minibus imodzi yoti ipite pamseu. It’s obvious l cant compete. Boma liwachose ngati akufuna kupanga business kuMalawi atsegule ma industry ife tilibe nazo kanthu.
Iweyo Peter Phiri ungapite ndi kukatsegula ka shop ku Burundi, India kapena ku Pakistan? Ena ndi awa athamangitsidwa ku Zimbabwe ndi ku Tanzania dzanadzana lomweli. Osamaganiza mofoka mukulu.
In ntcheu are many just come you will find lebanese, Chinese ,Burundi and operating even in the tomato markets
Atafuneni amenewo adzibwelela kwawo they don’t have business doing business there!