Government has expressed concern over the behaviour of some people in the country who take laws in their hands, saying the tendency is counterproductive to the country’s development.
Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, made the remarks on Saturday in Karonga after meeting the business community and other stakeholders in the district.
Kaunda’s remarks come barely few days after some angry pupils and teachers torched the district commissioner’s office over delays of salary payments for teachers who did not submit their national ID details to government by November last year (2019).
This was the second time the office was set on fire. Last year, demonstrators torched the office again during the anti-Jane Ansah protests.
“We came here to discuss with the business community and other stakeholders so that they should stop taking laws in their own hands.
“They should always resort to dialogue because these buildings they are torching belong to them.
“As business community, their businesses cannot grow if there is no peace and unity in the country. So, we came to cool down the situation here so that together we can move forward,” he said.
In an interview, member of the business community, Campbell Kaponda thanked government for conducting the dialogue meeting with the business community, saying it will help in resolving differences.
“We are happy with the outcome of the meeting and we hope that everything that has been discussed here will be implemented. We will be waiting with keen interest from the government side.
“We are also happy that we have agreed that it’s only Malawi Revenue Authority officials that will be responsible in checking business documents and not any other police officer as it used to be,” Kaponda said.
Recently, the business community removed some roadblocks in Karonga District, claiming they were too many.
The meeting was patronised by four cabinet ministers of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango, Information, Civic Education and Communication Technology, Mark Botomani; Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Symon Vuwa Kaunda and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Mungasulwa Mwambande.
