Kitwe city council has introduced penalty levies for street vendors effective yesterday, February, 2016.
Kitwe City Council Public Relation Officer, Donna Mbalwe, said the decision by the council to introduce penalty levies for street vendors is to assist council generate funds.
Ms Mbalwe said vendors have been selling for years without having to pay anything to the council and it is high time they start paying something.
Dyness Namwila, a vendor at Shoprite, said the move by council was a good one as long as the local authority is able to clean the streets themselves.
Ms Namwila said vendors have been cleaning the streets since the time they started selling in the streets and if they have to be paying then council workers should take up the responsibility of sweeping the streets.
Henry Kambole, another street vendor at after Ten Restaurant, said vendors will only pay the levy if council produces receipts.
He said vendors paying to the council will make their business legal and they expect to be treated like any other trader without fear of being stopped by anyone.
Violet Mwenya said the late President, Michael Sata, allowed them to trade freely in the streets and wondered why that should change now.
Ms Mwenya said vendors do not earn enough for them to be paying to the council but if they have to then they will should not be expected to clean the streets.
Good idea, but i’m sure Kambwili will issue a statement stopping the KCC from collecting the levies.
PF hates clean cities, I miss the ways Lusaka used to look during Mwanawasa’s time, it was very clean and we had no vendors
I would suggest that Street vendors pay at least K100 every day to the council. Drivers parking on the street party K2 for a few minutes while doing businesses in banks or shops. Vendors are obstructing walkways for 12 hours every day. They should pay up.
You are generating funds and legitimising the type of business. It’s a catch 22. It’s unsightly and if improved a Tourism is our aim then we should ask what the Tourist experience will be like with overcrowded dirty roads full of Vendors.
They really need to be in Market Stalls not on the street.
This is an illegal act which KCC want to enforce levying of vendors unless they have recently enacted a bylaw to support such actions. If that being the case, they should ensure that work places for these people are safe, Health standards are set ( availability of adequate sanitation) and that environment is clean. Failure to do so will simply complicate the matter as you start levying the vendors.
Awful idea…simply a money scheme for top officials. ..how can you levy people you can not quantify…this is why our Bus stations are in a terrible state!!
Not a good idea. Hon kampyongo stop them. Why is it that Kitwe City council always brings policies that will affect PF and locals? Bachanda kabwe pliz stop them. Geting levy from them will regalise street vending
Awful idea…What you doing is essentially legalising Street vending…if they pay levy then they are entitled to other rights as well just like any brick and motor store.
…first step is to legalise the street vending only then can they demand a fee from them….legalising shall mean to meet environmental standards in which such business can be conducted….that’s why we need a minimum of grade 12 to deliberate sense in council meetings….how can a council of technocrats resolve such without a thought of the consequences….??.
Yes you are spot on. It shows that the Councillors did not look at the legal consequences of levying the street vendors because the level of thinking is very low. Viva Grade 12 qualification or its equivalent before one aspires for political office.
It will save us from mediocrity and sheer incompetence in councils.
Street vending was ‘legalised’ by Sata & his Wynter. Just listen to vendors’ reasoning to understand how they think. They would rather pay to Chanda Kabwe’s dubious organisation than the city.
While I believe if well organised they can contribute positively to the city’s economy I think local authorities should either charge them or throw them off the streets.
What a filthy city! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!! With a filthy dirty CBD! Litered with vendors!!!! Pot-holed roads in the city center and second class trading area!!!!! With very unconcerned chancellors and executive!!!! Hohohohohoho!!! They are not even ashamed of themselves. Other cities like Ndola are busy cleaning up their city, but them are busy sharing land. Shamuleni, shame!!!!
Well done and about time too and can they move the vendors and stop them taking car parkings as their stalls. Hope this spreads to other towns too.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN NOT IN KITWE!!!! MUBEPELE FYE!!! NOWAY NO HOW. PEOPLE ARE BARELY SURVIVING NOW YOU WANT TO START CHARGING THEM JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE POOR AND POWERLESS. WHY NOT INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAXES OR BEER AND CIGARETTES TAX THA N DISPROPORTIONATELY TAXING THE POOR.
THAT IS NOT PROPER. THEN YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE EVEN THE TIOLETS FOR THEM. THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN AN AREA TO DO THEIR BUSINESSES. NOT IN CORRIDORS. KCC THINK!!!!!!!!