street vendors from Mosi-oa-tunya road in Livingstone on Friday to
promote cleanliness in the city ahead of the August 2013 UNWTO
conference
SOME Council police officers and street vendors in Livingstone on Monday clashed in the central business district regarding the latter’s manoeuvres to illegally resume trading on the streets.
Prior to the August 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo working in partnership with the Livingstone City Council removed the vendors from the streets.
The removal of street vendors was meant to promote cleanliness in Zambia’s tourist capital ahead and beyond the United Nations global tourism summit.
But after the UNWTO conference, some vendors have been making attempts to secretly sneak their products to the streets.
On Monday this week, some Council Police officers and vendors physically fought much to the amusement of on-lookers and shop owners over the latter’s attempt to return to the streets.
Eye witness told Times of Zambia in Livingstone yesterday that council police were over-powered by the vendors who in turn vowed to resume trading on the streets.
The Council police only managed to return back into town after several minutes in the company of State police in a police van in a bid to pursue the vendors.
And speaking in an interview yesterday, Livingstone City Council Public Relations Manager Emmanuel Sikanyika expressed shock at the physical battle between Council police and vendors.
Mr Sikanyika said the local authority would not allow vendors to take the law into their own hands with impunity.
He said no amount of lawlessness would be tolerated because the council police were protected by the law in the execution of their job.
“Livingstone is not short of trading space. We have given people places where they can trade from and those that want to come back to the streets are just selfish and do not want to face the completion with their friends in the markets, but we shall not allow any form of lawlessness,” Mr Sikanyika said.
He said the council was working with State police and anyone found wanting would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
Bravo Livingstone. Lusaka is a total mess! It has been turned into a filthy city full of anarchy and lawlessness.
Iwe Monko, Don’t you know that Lusaka and the CB have the blessing of His Highness. Batsopo.
I know and I hope Hon. Emerine Kabanshi can be a little bit stubborn and ignore that blessing. We need to bring back some sanity in Lusaka, its not too late.
GOOD. NO MORE STREET VENDING MUST BE ALLOWED IN THE TOURIST CAPITAL. STREET VENDING LAWS MUST BE ENACTED. A) STREET VENDING MUST BE CONTROLLED BY COUNCILS, B) CERTAIN STREETS SHOULD HAVE SPECIAL AND NOT PERMANENT MARKETS ON APPOINTED DAYS FOR A GROUP OF COMMODITIES FOR A GIVEN DAY FOR THE REASONS OF HEALTHY AND SAFETY, C) ANYONE ESTABLISHING OR TRYING TO ESTABLISH A STREET MARKET ILLEGALLY MUST BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED, D) ON A REGULAR PERIOD WHICH SHOULD BE GAZETTED, COUNCILS MUST BE IDENTIFYING FUTURE MARKETS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO AVOID THE EXCUSE OF STREET VENDING, ETC.
Where ever you step there is either food or cloths. if not then it is urinating place or a damping site. As though that is not enough, you drive or walk busy pumping on cadre mouthful insults, SHHHHHHitttt
Sometimes even on babies that are un planned.Crying some shouting togather with moms
Hon Kabashi to do what?Ask what happened to Prof.Luo when she tried to do the same?
The Mayor of Lusaka and the Police Command are very weak and heavily compromised. According to them, law is when Sata speaks.
Iwe Questioner, Don’t you know that Lusaka and the CB have the blessing of His Highness. Batsopo.
If they had the resources, Livingstone-based street vendors could just relocate to Lusaka and other towns where laws on street vending have been ignored or “suspended” by the Civic leaders and Zambia Police.
Tonganyokos heading cows in the streets…
Heleisa Halenya, l have been reading your comments of late and my conclusion is that you need serious prayers to cast that demon in you. My other conclusion is that you have a serious problem troubling you. “Do you know your real,real father.”
Halenya, God will punish you because of your sins. For your own information, there are very few Tonga vendors in Livingstone as compared to other tribes including your tribe. Please all Tongas and other tribes should forgive this misguided creature or cadre.
Change the law,charge whoever buys from the vendors as well.
Sata is the one to blame. the vendors are coming back because of Sata’s directive. he is a president who delites in confusion in his party, in the nation and on the streets. this time we will go and trade in front of state house if he directs LCC to let these vendors continue to trade on the streets.
For the love of votes MCS has turned Lusaka streets into one big toilet!
The problem is when you vote in power people who have will never have any alternative Job apart from being employed by cadres. since 1953 down the line, the time MCs was a porter has never worked on form Jobs.
So are most of his followers like GBM etc.
what is important is the counting of votes
Go get them Livingstonians! But seriously, is there an alternative place allocated for these vendors? if not thats why they are back, how do you try to solve a problem without a solution and expect progress. find them a good place for bussiness where they will be assured to sale not behind the bush with no road.
Cindy. Did you read the article.
It clearly says that Mr. Sikanyika said ” We have given people places where they can trade from and those that want to come back to the streets are just selfish”
In fact these traders have been successfully trading from those areas immediately prior to, during and after the UNWTO.
Yes i did , talk is cheap they always throw them out and take them were no ghost can trade, i hope this time they are using the S.M.A.R.T. pricinple, every one needs to sell.
kill the vendors!!!
Zambia has same laws regardless of the province.The same law lusaka vendors are using and being protected must be used in Livingstone.Moreover Lusaka is where the Inspector General of Police,The President and the Minister of Local Goverment stays but it has been turned into a toilet,then why bothering Livinstone vendors.
Please come back to streets as the master of confusion has allowed it to trade in confused premises.
This is the problem of playing double standards with the law.
At least Mugabe is better when it comes to keeping his towns and cities clean despite the economic problems that Zimbabwe is facing. He was able to launch the “Operation Drive Out Dirt”. But Sata indirectly launched “Operation Drive In Dirt” when he allowed street vending. More Zambians will die of cholera in Lusaka this coming rain season.