Monze Council unanimously resolves to remove all street vendors

The Monze District Epidemic Preparedness committee has unanimously resolved to remove all street vendors trading along all the roads in the District in a bid to prevent cholera outbreak.

The committee has since given all street vendors a one day ultimatum to vacant the streets and relocate to trading places in the two main markets.

During an emergency meeting held at the council chamber yesterday, Monze District Commissioner Cyprian Hamanyanga said the District had to follow the directive by the Provincial Minister to remove all street vendors in the streets

Mr Hamanyanga, also said the committee will close unsanitary restaurants, and bars as some of the measures to prevent the cholera outbreak that have broken out in some towns of the Province.

Council Secretary Mr. Frank Kalenga said all the street vendors would be allocated trading places in the two main markets where there was proper sanitation and also urged all Monze residents to cooperates as the disease was of grave concern to everyone.

Mr. Kalenga also said no compensation would be made to those whose goods would be destroyed in the process of demolition of stands as the directive was clear for everyone to be removed from the streets to pave way for cleaning exercise.

He observed that number of traders allegedly ‘running’ away from Lusaka because of the cholera outbreak there have invaded Monze predisposing the District to the disease adding that action was required urgently to removal all traders from the streets as per provincial administration directive.

Southern Province, has only recorded one case of cholera which also originated from a Chibolya resident in Lusaka.

Meanwhile, The District Health Office in Choma in Southern Province has identified Njase Clinic as a Cholera Centre in case of an outbreak of the disease.

This was disclosed by District Health director Callistus Kayunga.

Dr Kayunga was speaking during a cholera preparedness committee meeting in Choma held at Choma municipal council today.

The District Health office has since deployed health inspectors to inspect all public facilities to ensure they meet the required hygiene standards in a bid to prevent cholera.

Dr Kayunga has warned that any facility that will be found wanting will be closed down.

“We will inspect all facilities that maybe at risk, including Police cells. Those found wanting will be closed down.” He stressed.

Meanwhile Choma police service officer in charge Vincent Mwenda has appealed to the District Medical Office and other well-wishers to provide disinfectants for cells in order to protect suspects from cholera.

Mr. Mwenda added that the law enforcers are ready to partner with other security wings to ensure street vendors relocate to designated trading areas in order to prevent the disease.

On Thursday, the council made a public announcement to street vendors to vacate the streets.

“We are ready to team up with ZNS and the council during this exercise. We are however requesting for Chlorine so that we can disinfect our cells.” Mr Mwenda said.

On Friday morning, most vendors had vacated but were back on the streets by noon.

The Zambia National Service has so far provided equipment to be used in clearing garbage around the central business area of the district.

And the local authority has pledged to deploy council Police in various parts of the urban district for continued surveillance.

And -Chikankata District in Southern Province has headed President Edgar Lungu’s directive to ensure that all local authorities and the nation at large exercise maximum hygiene standards to prevent people from contracting the deadly Cholera disease.

And Chikankata District has started cleaning trading centers such as Turn Pike, Tamanaga and Kabanana Markets in a bid to prevent the outbreak of cholera.

ZANIS reports that District Head of Technicians Christopher Muwowo said the vigorous exercise of cleaning Markets started yesterday by making sure that all trading areas and markets are cleaned up using graders.

Mr Muwowo said the exercise will go on until all the trading places in Chikankata district are cleaned to the satisfaction of the local authority to prevent the outbreak of the deadly disease in then District.

He has also called on marketers at all markets to exercise maximum hygiene standards at the trading places especially in restaurants and other public places were business transactions are going on.

And speaking earlier, Wezi Kaziya an environmentalist praised President Lungu for banning street vending in the Capital City of Lusaka.

Mr Kaziya said the move by government to strictly enforce statutory instrument (SI) 78 will help greatly to contain the Cholera situation in the Capital city.

He said Cholera is a dangerous disease which if not properly handled, is able to kill a lot of people within a short period of time.