Car hawking rising

FRANCISTOWN - Second hand car sellers have turned traffic circles into car flea markets.
Some members of the public are already complaining that this growing trend is an eye sore and poses a danger to both motorists pedestrians.
A Francistown driver, Ms Ditshotlo Monnagape said it was not safe to enter circles, you cannot see the vehicle from the other side as you are obstructed by these vehicles.
Ms Monnagape said apart from the safety of the motorists, the vehicles are an eye sore and they make circles unsafe even for pedestrians.
It is unsafe even for pedestrians because they cannot see vehicles from the other side of the road, she said.
However, a remedy may be at hand.
The Gaborone city council in conjunction with Criminal Investigation Division South recently slapped the owners of such vehicles with fines and instructed them to remove them.
Ms Seeletso Lekgaba, City Councils Public Relations Officer, said the hawkers were operating in Molapo Crossing and BNPC circles were charged as some of them were operating without Motor dealers licences, while others did not pay customs duty for the imported vehicles.
Police Public Relations Officer, Senior Superintendent Christopher Mbulawa said nine hawkers paid P500 admission of guilt fines for trading without licences.
The nine included six Nigerians, two Batswana and one Indian.
While the trend is disturbing, the law on the other hand is silent regarding this practice.
Currently there is no bye law restricting the practice as the Township Act, which was last revised in 2005, only constrains parking in the mall, being quadrilateral area bounded by Queens Road, Independence Avenue, Botswana Road and Khama Crescent and in Francistown it refers to the east side of Haskins Street except within the spaces indicated by painted lines and the northern corner of the intersection of Tainton Avenue and Street and the northern corner of the intersection of Selous Avenue and Haskins Street.
Managing Director of BB Motors, Mr Zain Bhamjee said the trend of selling cars at traffic circles has no impact on his business.
He however suggested that the sales could be done in an organised manner and an ethical way where the vehicles could be viewed at one place.
The city council could on one weekend arrange for the sellers to use one car parking area and the public could go there and view the vehicles, he suggested.
Mr Duncan April of Lesedi Motors said hawking of vehicles had no bearing in his business as they are imports.
Even if we sell pre-owned vehicles we ensure that our cars have a service history and our vehicles are of high standard but as for imports the service history is on most cars not known, he said.