The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has arrested 65 street vendors for defying the directive to leave the streets.
LCC Public Relations Manager, Henry Kapata said in an interview in Lusaka today that the 65 who included 43 females and 22 males have been arrested for refusing to move to designated trading areas contrary to the Local Government Act CAP 28.
Mr. Kapata said the 65 will appear in court soon adding that they will however not appear before the Fast truck court which is yet to start operations.
He said the council will continue the exercise for the five years to permanently remove the vendors from the streets.
Mr. Kapata has since advised the traders to restrain themselves from abrogating the law by doing their business from right places.
He said there are 26,000 vacant trading spaces at Kabwata Site and Service Market alone and urged interested traders to apply for places there.
And Mr. Kapata has disclosed that some vendors who were removed from the streets in yesterday’s operation have been accommodated at the new Soweto market and at Carousel Shopping Centre near Comesa market.
Yesterday a combine team of council and state police chased the vendors from the streets.
ZANIS
None of them were born vendors but circumstances and scarce opportunites led them to the streets.
we have plenty of land in zambia… who will develop it if every one wants to become a trader?pipo are running away from rural areas into the city leaving the villages for no reason at all.GO back to the land policy must resume to deconjest the city of lusaka.This can be achieved by making life for the vendors hard.
Lusaka mayor Robert Chikwelete is reported to have distanced himself from the operation of riding the streets of vendors.
Being in opposition does not mean oppossing anything that Govt. Initiates.
We have cases of Cholera and Dysentry each year and lives are lost as the vendors have no proper sanitary places to use.
Designated markets have these facilities and the revenue collected can be used to improve other amenities in our Towns.
Lets learn to live an orderly life as it may be too late later on to put controls like in some cities where animals,people and motor vehicles compete for space in the Town centers.
The move is long over due. LCC has been busy clamping our vehicle yet vendors were just being watched. What used to pain is the fact that the statutory instrument stipulates the same fime. Worse still wrong parking is not clearly defined in the damn SI. Only says loading and offloading of goods. A wrong did should just be minted with the correct penalty….
please this is long overdue. The clean this cowboy city. No where in the world can such lawlessness be allowed ofcourse except zambia. This stupid PF mayor is a crazy . He sees and dreams in sata mode.
#1 Nine Chale, What are you implying? We all know no one was born a vendor. Are you for or against this move. State your position very clearly.
Ba Moze The move is necessary but I just feel sorry for the guys that’s all.
After this let them go and collect refuse in the residential areas….but for Chiluba this would have been done in 1990..Office of the President Street Division!!!!!!!!!!!! What rubbish we have been subjected to as Zambians for a long time