She indicated that the flea market has been operating on weekdays instead of weekends as was agreed in the lease.
Local vendors have complained that the market was flooded with foreigners especially from China, Somalia, Zambia and Kenya. They also say they cannot afford the daily rental of P38.
The FCC is in the process of writing an official letter directing BOCCIM to inform its clients to desist from using the flea market.
“The letter will just be informing them that they should stop operating in that area. Their two-year contract had expired on June 30 and they have not bothered to come and renew it. In fact, the council was not interested in renewing the contract with BOCCIM, because that place was no longer serving the interests of the people intended to benefit from it -citizens,” Sintala said.
She told Mmegi that the flea market was intended for the low-income Batswana. She said if Batswana are not benefiting, there is no need to give BOCCIM the go ahead to operate the flea market. She accused BOCCIM of being after business and the expense of citizens. “They know that the locals cannot afford their charges at they do not care about that. All they want is money and nothing else,” she emphasised.
Sintala asserted that the council is yet to decide whether the market will be discontinued or run by somebody else. The vendors at the flea market revealed that BOCCIM is still collecting daily rentals every morning and they are not even aware if the contract with FCC has expired. “BOCCIM sends someone who comes to the area every morning to collect the money and we have not been told anything concerning the expiry of the contract,” one of them said.
The BOCCIM regional manager, Eileen Van Der Est said that she is not aware of the allegations against them and she will act after receiving a letter from the FCC. She said it is strange for the FCC to discuss confidential issues with the press before communicating with her office as the contract was signed between the two of them.
“The FCC knows about the issue of operation of the flea market during weekdays because it was communicated to them after the local entrepreneurs wrote a letter suggesting that. The matter was communicated to them but the initial contract was not amended. It is not that we just did it. There was consultation with the FCC,” she said.
She noted that as far as her office is concerned, BOCCIM is still running the flea market until the FCC officially informs them otherwise.
