Guess Why Municipal Council of Nhamayabwe, Mozambique, Decided to Suspend Market Fees

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Guess Why Municipal Council of Nhamayabwe, Mozambique, Decided to Suspend Market Fees

8:50 CAT | 18 Mar 2016

A woman selling tomatoes in a market in Dedza, Malawi, along the border with Mozambique.

The Municipal Council in the town of Nhamayabwe, in the western Mozambican province of Tete, on Tuesday decided to suspend the collection of market fees from sellers of maize, vegetables, firewood and other products, due to the drought hitting this part of Tete.

The suspension, decided at an extraordinary meeting, is intended to alleviate the plight of the vendors, allowing them to spend on the subsistence of their households money that would otherwise go to the municipality.

Speaking to reporters, the mayor of Nhamayabwe, Alberto Amade, said the council believed it should not take money which the vendors need to feed themselves, in this time of drought-induced food shortages.

“We thought we should suspend some fees so that the vendors can take the money home and have something on which to survive”, Amade said. “We think this measure will minimize the suffering of our citizens who will no longer have to pay fees when they sell products for their survival”.

In Tete, the drought affects not only Mutarara district (of which Nhamayabwe is the capital), but also the districts of Changara, Magoe, Cahora Bassa, Marara, Moatize and part of Chiuta. More than 63,000 Tete households are suffering from the drought, according to figures announced recently by the agriculture and food security authorities.

Source: AIM