FCC moves to evict market vendors

FRANCISTOWN: The Francistown City Council (FCC) has resolved to approach the courts in order to evict central market vendors, as plans to develop hit a snag. When briefing the FCC last week, Francistown mayor, Godisang Radisigo said the council has since approached court in a bid to force the market occupants to vacate the stalls to pave way for proposed developments by Amasa Civils, a company that has leased the market plot.

Radisigo stated that the council gave the market occupants final eviction letters through their association on February 4 instructing them to vacate their market stalls by February 28. The market vendors did not heed the call according to the mayor, prompting the council to go to court. “The eviction process entails applying for an eviction order from the High Court, and we served the court (with our papers) on March 31, 2022,” he said, adding that the FCC expects Amasa to start construction in September after the handing over of the site and the necessary design work by the council.

Amasa, a 100% citizen-owned company, was in 2020 unveiled as the new developer for the council’s central market plot. The company was granted a 25-year lease period to build a modern business complex. Amasa will pay the council a monthly fee of P28,000 as part of the 25-year lease agreement.

Since 2020, Amasa, a property development firm, has been struggling to start developments (at the market) due to differences with market occupants. The majority of the occupants are reluctant to move. The council has in the past offered them alternative places where they could operate their businesses. However, the market vendors turned down the offer arguing that the alternative place was not strategically placed. Still at the council, Radisigo said that it will take time for the council to allocate its six industrial plots located at Dumela Industrial.

He noted that the council floated the tender for the plots at the beginning of February and closed submissions in March.

However, the mayor said the tender has since been cancelled after some bidders raised concerns over inconsistencies in relation to bid documents. “As a way forward, re-advertising will run from April 1 [last Friday] until April 26, 2022.

The award and signing of the lease agreement of these plots are expected to be concluded by June 2022.” The intention for leasing the six plots is to help the council to generate and increase its income as well as to support industrial activities in the city.