Why are hawkers being evicted from Tanzania’s streets?
“Business isn’t good because I’m not getting enough customers. We’re becoming poorer”
Africa Daily · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
Street hawkers are a common sight, plying their trade on streets across Africa.
From fruit and vegetables to gadgets and clothes – they sell it all. But in Tanzania, ‘Machingas’ - petty traders - have been evicted from their stalls and told they need to go to official markets.
They were given one month’s notice. President Samia Suluhu Hassan says the street traders pay no tax, block up congested roads and take customers from formal shop owners who DO pay tax.
But the Machingas say the move has left them struggling to feed their families.
Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja)
Guest: Economist Walter Nguma.
Street traders Godfrey Massima and Khamisi Mohammed