PF members deny working against Mufulira council
THE Patriotic Front in Mufulira district on the Copperbelt have denied allegations that they are working against the mayor and Town Clerk (TC) on plans to remove vendors from the streets.
Mufulira district PF chairperson Dominic Mwale charged that the programme to remove marketeers and vendors from the streets had a blessing from all the stakeholders, including the mayor and the TC.
He said the meeting was convened between him, the council authorities and marketeers, and wondered why some individuals were accusing him and his committee members of fighting against the council. Mr Mwale said the plan to move the vendors from the streets was quietly resolved and that most of the vendors had had been accommodated at Buteko market and Ronald Ross markets, as well as at the green market.
“We agreed as a team on how to go about with the exercise and that is why there was no noise because it is a process that involved various stakeholders,” he said.
Mr Mwale rubbished calls by some frustrated individuals to have him removed together with committee members from the party as baseless, saying the party should lead by example, hence working with other stakeholders to ensure there was sanity in the central part of the district. He said the consultative meeting that was held resolved that those who were selling from the streets should move to markets because the stands were empty and only the few who were not accommodated. “It is not true to say we are fighting, when the TC, mayor, councillors, the police, street vendors and marketers, were in attendance of the consultative meeting and we had agreed that these people have to move because there were spaces in the market. But I am wondering why some frustrated individuals are saying that we are working against the relevant authorities at the council,” he said.
And Mr Mwale also dispelled rumors circulating that some vendors had actually bribed him k33, 000 so that they should not be removed from the street.