Blantyre Central Business District (CBD) is the city centre of Blantyre the commercial city of Malawi.
Blantyre Central Business District is one of the neatest cities in Malawi with some tall buildings and luxurious places to visit.
The Blantyre flea market resides in the Blantyre CBD. The market harbours, a small smelly sewage polluted river that originates from Limbe Mudi, and it is one of the oldest flea markets in Malawi . The market serves the surrounding communities of Namiwawa, Chilomoni, Mbayani, Ndirande, Nyambadwe and Mandala
The Blantyre flea market is well known as a center for Irish potato businesses where people come to buy Irish potatoes in both wholesale and retail.
You can travel to Blantyre flea market by minibus, taxi, your own car or buy walking
To get to the Blantyre city centre by bus from Limbe, you need to catch a bus from any bus stop in Limbe heading to Blantyre CBD via Chipembele highway and get off at Mibawa bus stop.
It takes approximately 20 minutes to get there. You should expect to pay K1,000 for a return minibus fare.
If you decide to use a taxi, you should expect to pay K4,000 for a return taxi fare which takes approximately 10 minutes. There is a vast parking area in Blantyre city centre, if you decide to use your own car, but they currently charge K100 parking fee.
The flea market is very close to the Mibawa bus rank about a 2 minute walk down to the market.
The centre has many shops offering a variety of services and goods. Here are a few shops you might want to visit while you are in the area.
Village Market: They sell men and women clothes, make up, home appliances and kitchenware. Open weekdays from 8am to 5pm
Curios Market: They sell various kinds of arts and crafts. They open Monday till Saturday from 8am to 5pm
Food: There are various food eateries, such as: Kips, KFC, Nandos, Crazy Foods and others which serve chips, chicken, ice cream and other foods.
Banking Services: There are lots of banking services in Blantyre CBD, some of which are National Bank of Malawi, CDH bank, FDH Bank, Eco Bank and First Capital Bank which all operate from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 11am on Saturday.
Transportation: You can also get inter-country and inter-district bus services from Blantyre CBD. Some of the bigger bus companies are AXA bus service, TamTam, Kwezy Buses, Malawi Post Corporation buses and Intercape buses.
Accommodation: Blantyre CBD is also full of luxurious hotels and lodges which serve locals and foreign visitors. Some popular hotels in the area are Victoria Hotel, Ryalls Hotel, Mount Soche Hotel and Amarylis Hotel.
Fruits and Vegetables: You can buy various kinds of vegetable and fruits at Blantyre flea market, you can buy fruits like Apples, Oranges, Pineapples, Papaya, Watermelons, and lots of off-season fruits.
Irish Potatoes: Blantyre flea market is where you can find many traders of potatoes and you can buy various kinds of high quality Irish Potatoes, grown in Ntcheu and Dedza, sold in bulk and small amounts at a cheap price.
Mobile Money: There are lots of mobile money agents at the flea market where you can deposit or withdraw funds from your mobile phone. Some of the mobile money services found there are TNM, Mpamba and Airtel Money.
Barbershops: There are also many barbershop services at Blantyre flea market and one of them is Chisale’s Barbershop.
Salons: There are also many shops offering hair styling services. Some of them are Hambean Hair Dressing saloon and Gents Hair dressing saloon.
Courier: Blantyre flea market is also full of young men offering courier services who helps you carry your heavy goods up to your car or your minibus stop at a slight fee.
Here are a few shops that are easy to spot in the market.
Azuba Auto Parts & Hardware: They sell hardware products such as car parts. Open weekdays from 8am to 5pm
Hambeani Hair Dressing Salon: They offer hair styling services and sell hair accessories. They open Monday till Saturday from 8am to 5pm
Cleanliness: The Blantyre Flea Market is well kept and cleaned compared to Limbe market and I rate it 4/5
Price: Prices at Blantyre flea market are a bit higher compared to Limbe Market and I rate it 2/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ulemu matipula, is a freelance writer, based in Blantyre city, in Malawi. Apart from writing, he is also passionate about computers. He is currently studying Web Design at a local university. You can contact Ulemu by sending an email to info@izebuy.com
The Times Group Malawi 24 Nation Online
