Shop owners in Limbe's business district are bleeding vendors dry with insane rent, according to the people running stalls there. Their representative, James Willie, says a minimum monthly charge of two hundred thousand kwacha is crushing small businesses. He argues this forces lesser earners to the edges of the market, hurting their trade and safety.
He did shout out one developer, Pacific Limited, for actually building something affordable. Their Pacific Tower building in central Limbe offers cheaper spots. Some guy from the company, Grant Chimenya, stated that half of the nine hundred rooms in their six-story place are for small timers. They even have a daily market space costing next to nothing. He wants the city council to give tax breaks to developers so those savings might trickle down to renters.
All this happens while the city keeps trying and failing to kick vendors off the streets entirely. The sellers say they cannot make a living in the officially so-called free market zones the authorities set up. So they just stay put, caught between ruthless landlords and pointless city policies.
He did shout out one developer, Pacific Limited, for actually building something affordable. Their Pacific Tower building in central Limbe offers cheaper spots. Some guy from the company, Grant Chimenya, stated that half of the nine hundred rooms in their six-story place are for small timers. They even have a daily market space costing next to nothing. He wants the city council to give tax breaks to developers so those savings might trickle down to renters.
All this happens while the city keeps trying and failing to kick vendors off the streets entirely. The sellers say they cannot make a living in the officially so-called free market zones the authorities set up. So they just stay put, caught between ruthless landlords and pointless city policies.
