By IKOME CHRISTIE-NOELLA EPOSI
Barely two months into his five-year mandate, the Mayor of the Buea Municipality, David Mafani Namange has set the ball rolling by engaging in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in his municipality.
Equally, the Mayor has been sanctioning those bringing urban disorder in the town, including haphazard builders and bikers still plying the streets of Buea.
Mayor Mafany noted during a recent crisis meeting that the COVID-19 is real and strict measures have been put in place which must be implemented in the municipality in order to fight against the disease. Some of those strict measures he mentioned include; the ban on sales at the entrance of markets, no foodstuffs displayed on the ground, no child should be seen selling in the market, any restaurant without a toilet facility be locked up etc.
As concerns the second aspect which was that of houses built on waterways, the Mayor frowned at that, stating it was the cause of the floods few days ago.
After the meeting which lasted for about 20 minutes, the Mayor and his collaborators went to the field to correct some wrongs in the municipality. Some structures constructed on a market footpath, and others constructed along the road were demolished as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus and the non-respect of urban norms in the municipality.
In the Soppo Market, the passages were entirely occupied as vendors had encroached and implanted their own shops. In one case, a toilet that was put at the disposal of the market had been turned into a shop.
“Some of the passage ways in the market were reduced to less than half a meter, and all of this helps in favouring the spread of the coronavirus. If some individuals do not want to take care of themselves, the government has an obligation to take care of them” the Mayor said.
In Buea it has been noticed that people are building haphazardly, without even consulting town planning officials. The Mayor has indicated that such behaviour by the population will be stopped.
Strict measures have been put in place to ensure that the demolished structures are not built overnight. “They may rebuild but I give them five years of this interchanging situation,” Mayor Mafani Namange challenged.
The downpour witnessed in Buea last Tuesday March 24 caused a lot of damages on houses and their farm products. Locals have blamed the poor drainage system in the municipality to the non-respect of building codes and absence of culverts.
The Mayor equally reiterated the fact that no bikes should by any chance be seen in the town of Buea. “Any bike seen without authorisation from me will be impounded” he warned.
The Mayor’s demolition exercise took him to Great Soppo Market (opposite OIC Buea), Clerks Quarters, CAMSIC entrance and GRA where some irregularly constructed structures were brought down.