Lstone vendors protest

SOME street vendors in Livingstone protested against the Livingstone City Council (LCC)’s decision to remove them from the Central Business District (CBD). The street vendors staged a protest at the office of Mayor following the arrest of their colleagues for vending in undesignated areas. According to the vendors, the local authority was “victimising” them, insisting that in other towns such as Choma, street vending was thriving. The vendors who thronged in front of the office of the mayor’s parlour demanded that they be given an alternative trading areas to do business from. Group representative Akafekwa Mundia told the Mayor Eugene Mapuwo that they should immediately be given alternative trading place. “As we are talking to you right now, our colleagues are in custody but where are we heading, are we not Zambians ourselves. “This is a difficult period, people have lost their jobs because of COVID-19 and they depend of small businesses they do on the streets,” said an emotional representative. Mr Mundia accused the council of making the Government unpopular because of such decisions. And the Mayor said tha street vendors should not be politicized as it had potential to backfire. In his address, Mr Mapuwo told the vendors not to get on the main streets of the CBD while solutions to their challenges was being discussed. The Mayor had initially wanted the Council Public Relations Manager Melvin Mukela to address the vendors. Mr Mapuwo said that previously, the local authority had advised street vendors to trade along Kapondo and Senanga streets and also at the frontage of Hindu Hall. “You’re aware that there are certain places you can trade from and certain places you can’t. We did agree a long time ago with yourselves that, in the main street from Mosi-oa-tunya up ZESCO, no one should trade there. “The reason is very simple this is a tourist capital and it doesn’t show the cleanliness and smartness of the town. That is why we said no one should be found on the main street,” he said.