Lusaka City Council (LCC) Public Relations Manager, Chola Mwamba, says the local authority is fulfilling its mandate of removing street vendors from selling in the streets.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with the media, Ms Mwamba said from July to October this year, more than 400 vendors have been removed from the streets for illegally operating in the Central Business District (CBD) and 78 of them appeared before the Fast Track Court and were fined.
She also said the council is not working alone to clean up the streets, but with other agencies such as the Zambian Police, to ensure vendors operate in their rightful places.
She has since encouraged removed vendors to go to the council so that they can be allocated space in vacant marketplaces.
Ms Mwamba reiterated that removing vendors from the streets is meant to avoid littering and diseases, especially that the rain season is imminent.
She has meanwhile called on the media and public health experts to help in the sensitisation the public about the consequences of living in a dirty environment.
“It involves educating the public and traders to change their attitudes towards cleanliness and adherence to regulations,” she said.
Ms Mwamba has further urged both the public and vendors to take personal responsibility saying waste is accumulated when trading is being done along the streets, making it difficult for the council to manage.
She however explained that the council is actively building new markets within the city, citing the Simon Mwewa Lane market and the upcoming Big Mama market (formerly known as Munyaule) as examples of what the local authority is working on in the background.
Goog job Chola Mwamba . PF did wrong by allowing street vending just to attract votes.