MINISTER of Local Government and Housing Stephen Kampyongo says Government is in the process of relocating street vendors in Lusaka, Copperbelt and Livingstone to new trading places.
Mr Kampyongo said on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Sunday Interview that this is in a bid to decongest the streets in the central business districts.
“Once we are done with relocating street vendors in Lusaka, a similar process will be done on the Copperbelt and Livingstone, where street vending is still a challenge,” Mr Kampyongo said.
He said a piece of land has been allocated for street vendors along Lumumba Road in the central business district in Lusaka, but might not cater for all the vendors.
Mr Kampyongo said the land has already been cleared and construction of the ablution block is under way.
“Once the construction of the ablution block is completed, we will start moving them in phases. We are also still negotiating for other two locations where we can take those who will remain,” Mr Kapyongo said.
He said the street vendors through their association are being engaged on a regular basis and a register has been put in place to establish their numbers.
And the minister has appealed to Zambians to join in the fight against illegal land allocation by reporting all those suspected to be constructing on land illegally.
Mr Kampyongo said there will be no “sacred cows” in dealing with people involved in illegal land allocation.
He urged councillors not to get involved in illegal allocation of land because it is eroding public confidence in councils.
“Let people have confidence in the councils by doing the right thing. It will never be justifiable that because there is too much demand for land, then people can build anywhere,” he said.
Like it or not street vending is the human face of unemployment and a consequence of incompetent national leadership. If Zambians want a change in their living conditions, they need to find competent leaders, something we have not done since independence,may be except for President Mwanawasa! PF YENA KUYAYA FYE! PF has completely failed!
@K Bwalya, unfortunately PF and Kampyono in particular are too dull to comprehend your simple logic. The solution to lies in your proposition; a competent leadership.
The people that you are calling dull have won elections as compared to you intelligent HH who the only election he has won was on tribal lines. ONLY A TONGA CAN RUN UPND
the timing may not be so good bwana kampyongo
I absolutely agree with you Rizzo,wait till you have won the elections,then act.These are the potential pf voter that don’t need to be disturbed.
Timing my A#@e
This is the perfect timing so that you show us you have a permanent solution to the problem
Do that and start preparing for your exit from power.it seems you are very dull in reading the political indicators.
Can you afford doing that with elections ahead of you what has gone wrong with you in Pf? It seems like every minister can work up and pronounce whatever he wants to be done whenever he want it blindly.
Are you sure street vending is a challenge in Livingstone, Silvia Masebo and Livingstone City sorted that out along time ago.
Kapyolongo is simply lying. PF have no resolve, no backbone, to do what’s right for Zambia. We will continue to have the dirtiest streets in Africa.
As usual we resort to implicitly punitive moves in resolving matters. What I could imagine would make humane sense is to regularize their stay on Lumumba by instituting some order. Kind of make it a permanent flea market with decent walkways and segregated sections for different wares. After that institute levy payment methods that are transparent and enable the vendors pay directly through mechanisms like scratch cards. That way you do not need to look for new places for those that overflow. You will be catering for EVERYONE who is still there. 21st Century is really whizzing past this governance system…
well said
@Rizzo, zamcab and seniorsmostman, you are the kind of people who have contributed to making Zambia dirty. election or no election, this street vending should be done away with. i will vote for PF is they can clean up and stop being violet to HH, Mumba and Nawakwi. I wanted to say and others but then i realise that the others are just presidents on paper.
Nice move honourable minister, you have just scored an goal!!!
This kapyongo wants to decampaign PF, how can he think relocating street vendors. These are majority voters unlike us guys on sites.
I thought Prof. Lou was removed from that position for trying to do this. Has something changed?
Please let the minister clean up our cities as long as alternative trading places are created for the traders. When the streets are clean, even the vendors will appreciate. As for the votes, I repeat that UPMD simply does not provide a tangible and viable alternative leadership, even now in opposition they will tolerate garbage on their door steps as long as they see potential votes. But unfortunately for UPMD, voters including street vendors do not share their views. That is why even when the street vendors are pushed out of the streets, they will still vote PF because they know that it is far more genuine compared to some desperate parties. Sorry that hurts but that is the truth.
Some parties can do anything for votes even wishing others death. What kind of Zambian cerebrates when the exchange rate is high, when there is no enough rainfall or when there is load-shedding? They should be concerned and not this cerebration for bad luck that we are seeing in some parties.
Don’t you believe up to now that PF is full of confusion? Just look again at this plan by the PF minister; truly it is chimbwi no plan
I believe street vendors are over rated as voters. Get rid of them- NOW!
I thought allowing PROMOTING lawlessness and street vending as long as you chant PF SLOGANS was a PF STRATEGY!
The problem with UPND cadres, they start criticizing without even reading the story. They just read the headline. Do you remember what your god HH said in Chawama towards 2015 elections when he was booed? He finally in his desperation said he will allow street vending. It is good to hear someone towards election boldly trying to address an issue that may lose him votes.
Kci you also very off topic, do you have a video or evidence to back up your claim otherwise you following in your master’s ways lying everyday. The article has nothing to do about the man you so hate, without knowing that some of the meat you eat comes from him. You will never know biting the finger that feeds you, you gonna need him when the person you vote for neglects you to death. It’s happening most people are frustrated and feeling neglected and when they express their frustrations they are thrown in jail.
Assuming I eat meat and if so I do not pay for the meat I eat. If HH does not sale meat, someone else will.
What will make PF lose is the FILTH in the major towns and cities. Lusaka has never been so dirty. When you visit a new plac, A quick glance at the surroundings tell you whether there is leadership or not, whether you should expect greater and better things or not. The case for Lusaka is for you to judge!
BA KA MPYONGO MULEFWAYA UKUTAMPA UKUNYELA KU NTULO? SOMEONE ABOVE HAS MENTIONED THE WORD INCOMPETENCE- THIS IS THE INCOMPETENCE HE IS TALKING ABOUT. MAKING WRONG DECISIONS AT WRONG TIME WITHOUT THINKING. YOU MEAN IN YOUR OFFICE THERE’S NOTHING TO DO NOW FOR YOU TO START DREAMING OF CIVIL UNREST AT A WRONG TIMING? YOU ARE VERY INCOMPETENT. YOU ARE SOME OF THE ROTTEN EGGS IN PF WHO ARE MESSING UP THE PARTY DUE TO LACK OF THINKING.
What a headline. “Govt. to remove street vendors off the street”. From where else can you remove street vendors?
The act of negotiating to solve a problem is the best thing to do. We all know that people are selling things to put food on the table, but we must regulate where they sell their things and encourage them to sell their products in an hygienic environment. Un- employment is not an excuse that people can now sell anywhere. Mr Kampyongo thumbs up for trying to solve this problem by making sure you relocate the vendors to some other place. Ignore calls or even those carders who think that you only make “ un popular decisions” when general elections are far.
How many times in the past have vendors been removed from the streets only for them to return after a relatively brief absence. Removing vendors is one thing but successive governments have failed to keep the vendors off the streets once they are removed. There never seems to be a sustained effort to keep the vendors off the streets. Slowly but surely vendors return to the streets as there is nothing to prevent them from doing so and then our streets return to their sad and filthy condition, where disease and sickness lurks.
I agree that street vending should never be allowed or promoted. We need to hold politicians in charge of this accountable for failing to do their jobs. Street vending brings diseases especially when people use public areas as washrooms and do it anywhere they please. Litter is all over the place and water which is a breeding place for mosquitoes. Shop owners pay rent and utilities, street vendors should pay for their spots. Designating them to markets so they pay a monthly rental should be implemented. If they come back reposes their stuff and fine them or send them to jail for a few days as a message.