Street vendors will not go back to streets after UNWTO, Masebo assures

TOURISM and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo has assured Livingstone residents that street vendors will not go back to streets after the August 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly.

Ms Masebo said it was the intention of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government to create good trading places for vendors and hence the issue of vendors going back to streets won’t arise after the UNWTO conference.

She said a two-storey building ultramodern market was currently under construction in Livingstone and some vendors would be taken to the new market once construction was completed.

Ms Masebo was responding to questions Livingstone residents on Saturday afternoon during the commemoration of the International Cultural Arts Festival at Royal Livingstone Golf and Country Club.

This was during a public debate organised by the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers.

Senior Chief Mukuni, international and local artists as well as tourism operators among others attended both the public debate on Saturday and the arts dinner on Friday night.

“We won’t allow vendors to come back to streets in Livingstone after the August 2013 UNWTO conference.

Vendors will continue trading in designated trading centres such as Green Market and COMESA markets where they were relocated to,” she said.

Ms Masebo said the PF Government wanted all vendors to have better jobs and trade from clean places which had water and sanitation facilities.

During the same debate, Southern Region United Vendors Foundation (SRUVF) secretary Patrick Mubanga supported Ms Masebo’s sentiments that vendors would not go back to streets after the UNWTO conference.

Mr Mubanga said his Foundation wanted to encourage vendors to trade in designated places even after the global tourism summit.

On the involvement of the local community in Livingstone in UNWTO conference preparations, Ms Masebo said people were already involved through the local organising committee which comprised of all categories of locals.

“Government already released money and that money is already in Livingstone. There is already participation in Livingstone and maybe it is the amount of participation.

Now we have more artists and women participation from all corners of Livingstone as can be seen at this festival,” Ms Masebo said.

She also assured residents that the various works being constructed or upgraded in the city were being done professionally.

Ms Masebo said all infrastructure developments taking place in the city were supervised by the Livingstone City Council as well as the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication.

On measures put in place to improve local people’s access major hotels such as Sun International Zambia, Ms Masebo said her Ministry had already agreed with Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) for tour operators to lower their rates.

She said Livingstone hotels and lodges were currently competing very well with Zimbabwe while some rooms were currently cheaper compared to those in Zimbabwe.

“Even flights from Lusaka to Livingstone have become cheaper at KR250 for Proflight and all we need to do is to send the information,” she said.

On calls for more bands from Livingstone to participate in the UNWTO shows, Ms Masebo said the tourist capital would have 50 per cent of artists and other artists participating in shows while the remaining 50 per cent would come from other parts of the country.

“The co-hosting of the UNWTO conference is an opportunity for Livingstone and Zambia to market its tourism products abroad.

I have always asked operators not to inflate prices because if they hike their prices because of the UNWTO, they will lose out,” she said.

Ms Masebo also commended the media in Livingstone for relentless efforts to promote the UNWTO conference.