In the city of Lilongwe, on a Thursday afternoon, the bustling central market found itself in turmoil as motorbike operators organized a protest along Area 3 Road. Their demonstration was aimed squarely at the Road Traffic Officers, who had been systematically seizing their motorbikes due to the absence of proper registration and licenses.
Ganizani Banda, a vocal representative among the motorbike operators, articulated that their protest was a manifestation of their mounting frustration and a means to exert pressure on the Road Traffic Department to cease confiscating their prized possessions. Banda revealed that this crackdown had intensified since the previous Monday, with officials consistently confiscating their motorbikes and demanding hefty fees for motorbike licenses, a financial burden that many of the operators simply couldn’t bear.
Banda fervently appealed to the officials at the Road Traffic Directorate, urging them to initiate peaceful dialogues, a strategy that had been effective in resolving disputes in the past. He stressed that the prevailing high cost of living rendered it nearly impossible for them to scrape together over K200,000 for bike registration.
Although the situation was confirmed by the Road Traffic Directorate Public Relations Officer, Angelina Makwecha, she refrained from divulging any further details on the matter.