Squatter businesses

During new year day this year, I'd taken some photos at the popular Dar shopping complex referred to as "international" due to proximity of the International School of Tanganyika Upper School. I posted some on this blog (see archive).

The place was intact, business brisk, until 30 September 2006. That was the lapse of 6-month grace period given by Prime Minister for squatter traders to pull down their shacks and relocate in designated alternative trading places.

Now, these "Internatioal" businesses were not mere shacks. They included hardware shops, beauty saloons, green grocers and, especially, bars. Ruffly 500 persons were employed by these businesses, and about that number were "parasites" such as cabbies, shoeshine johnnies, fishmongers and the whole lot of man and women who trekked with various mechandise from ripe fruits to cellphone charger to imitation jewelry to Makonde artcraft.

No-one expected such a thing would ever come to be carried out. Nevertheless when the day came there was nothing like running battles on the streets, instead individuals were busy removing and relocating their valuables and taking apart the buildings.

In the space of 48 hours, about 50 different businesses ceased to exist. Engaging average of 3 persons, that was flushing some 150 breadearners to the street: that is without counting the parasites whose businesses went down under as well.

It was also, needless to say very much to the inconvenience of thousands who live and work in the Msasani Peninsula area. I felt sooo sad about the episode, I was sure there could have been an amicable arrangement--indeed such a proposal was contained in my paper presented in the National Science and Technology Conference held in Dar es Salaam just months before (I'll make links to my papers available here sometime soon). The inspiration for me to write on such a subject was my experience in China whereby in the busy shopping districts there were smallholder providers of services such as catering, but support systems for maintained sanitation and cleanliness such as drain and potable water supply had been installed in those places by the city (it was in Beijing in December 2004).

I am still optimistic something ought to be done. Anyone visiting this place who has some ideas, please punch your comments in...