Some aggrieved traders at the Kumasi Race Course have threatened to embark on a naked demonstration in protest against what they call selective demarcation and allocation of lands to traders because they have not paid money to the city authorities.
They alleged that those who have been allocated with lands are those who have connections with the city authorities and have paid money to ‘machomen’ operating in the area.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) on Monday, November 6 relocated traders who were selling on pavements, streets and Kejetia as well as unauthorized places in the Central Business District (CBD) to the Race Course.
The exercise is also to ease congestion in the CBD to reduce huge vehicular and human traffics.
Reports say some angry traders are finding it difficult to be relocated leading to a misunderstanding between them and the city authorities.
Speaking in an interview with OTEC News’ reporter Isaac Nsiah Foster, amidst of chanting war songs, the leader of the group, Comfort Owusu, said they will resist any attempt to be left out from the relocation at the Race Course, even if they had to go naked.
“We will go naked on the streets if the city authorities refuse to allocate us a place to sell our wares. We have contracted loans from the banks to do businesses, if we do not get a place to sell, how we can repay the loans,” she angrily said.
Madam Comfort Owusu said they have submitted their names to the city authorities, as demanded by them, for the allocation of lands at the Race Course, but the officials have done nothing about it.
She added that because they have not paid money to them, they have not been allocated any place at the Race Course to sell.
“These machomen are collecting money from us with the assurance of getting us places to sell, therefore if you refuse to pay, they threaten to sack you from the Race Course,” she alleged.
Source: GhanaWeb
