WE’RE FRUSTRATED THAT STREET VENDORS ARE BACK-TRADER

By NATION REPORTER WE are frustrated that some street vendors are back while we are complying with the law, a market trader of Lusaka’s Lilanda Township, Sarah Kaunda has complained.

In an interview with the Daily Nation, Ms Kaunda accused the Lusaka City Council of being reluctant to pursue people who had gone back to street vending.

Ms Kaunda said complying with the country’s by-laws continues to be an excercise in futility with each new day as those that are defying stand to benefit more all the time.

“We have since gone ahead to register and done all that was required of us, unfortunately, those that do not are earning more than us.

“It has forced us to continu- ously question what the role of the authorities that should monitor and enforce regulation are playing,” Ms. Kaunda said.

“The process for approving capable traders was necessitated by a cholera outbreak and to control this problem the council set regulations which were aimed at protecting the general public and ensuring that the city council would improve their tax collection systems and income base. But they are the same people shifting goal posts,” she charged.

But LCC Acting Public Relations Manager, George Sichimba, on Monday said some vendors had attempted to return to the streets following the withdrawal of soldiers.

Mr Sichimba said the local authority was working with other stakeholders among them the security wings to devise strategies aimed at preventing vendors from getting back on the streets especially in Central Business District (CBD) and in other prohibited areas.

Mr Sichimba said the council would ensure that vendors were not back on streets because it was illegal and further advised vendors to restrain themselves from abrogating the law by doing their business from designated places.

“As the council we are on top of things to ensure that vendors are not back on streets and we are aware that some vendors from Mtendere and Kazimai market have gone back on streets, but we will soon pounce on them and once arrested they will be penalized and their merchandise will also be confiscated,” warned Mr Sichimba.