In the wake of a ferocious fire incident that rocked the Culgbayah settlement on Monday 9th November 2020 at around 3:00 am, several concerns have been raised by butchers about them selling at the market. The Butcher’s Market is located at the back of the main entrance close to the Susan’s Bay slum community. The fire that engulfed homes and destroyed properties also affected the market structure.
In light of that, the butchers have expressed grave concerns over the current position of their stalls, as it affects their sales and the customers that patronise them.
A longstanding trader, Musa Sesay, complained about their plight. “Our first market where we used to sell in front was destroyed by fire. So, we were relocated here by the Freetown City Council (FCC). Since we came here our sales have dropped significantly. This is because after 5:00 pm many customers are afraid to come behind here to buy from us due to the bad boys and criminality that is associated with this environment. They prefer to go to other markets and places to buy meat instead of coming to us,” Sesay lamented.
He further explained the negative impact the last fire incidents had on their business. “During our last fire incidents that affected our market, we lost a lot of creatures such as goats, chickens, cattle, etc. We had just purchased those animals when the disaster struck. It was a major loss for our traders at that time.”
For his part, the chairman of the Butcher’s Market, Mohamed Jalloh, said water, security and a dilapidated building are their major challenges. “The wall of this building is cracked due to the fire which destroyed building in this surrounding. Most of our customers are fearful to come here during the evening hours. At our former location, we can sell until 8:00 pm; now, it is not so. We also do not have sweepers in this place and we pay Le1,000 to FCC daily for selling here,” he averred.
Meanwhile, he explained that although they pay council rate to FCC, they do not enjoy any facility for it.
“When this fire incident occurred in this neighbourhood, nobody from the government or the council came to visit us. Only Councillor Madinatu Rahman for this ward came to visit this area and took photos of the scene,” Jalloh stated. Notwithstanding that, when asked, several customers declined commenting on the business atmosphere at the Butcher’s Market.
By David Thoronka & Sahr E. George