Fri, 23 Jun 2017 11:15:30 +0000
By ROGERS KALERO
THE Kitwe City Council (KCC) is owed more than K1.5 million in market levies at Nakadoli market where the occupancy rate is low and most of the few traders occupying trading spaces are defaulters.
KCC public relations manager Roy Kuseka said the council was losing revenue at Nakadoli market where the occupancy rate was low and that from March 31, 2017, the council was owed K1.5 million in market levy.
Mr Kuseka said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that as a strategy to raise revenue at the market, the council had decided to establish the wholesale trading point from Chisokone market to Nakadoli market.
“From the time Nakadokli market was constructed in 2009, the occupancy rate has been low and the council has been losing revenue. Even the few traders occupying trading spaces are also defaulters. As at March 31, 2017, the council was owed K1.5 million in terms of market levies.
“As a way forward in terms of raising revenue at the market, the meeting was called with stakeholders, including market associations. One of the strategies was the establishment of the wholesale trading point and that was left to the council to decide,” Mr Kuseka said.
But Association of Vendors and Marketeers (AVEMA) president Able Chikwa said marketeers would not entertain the council’s decision to relocate tomato wholesale traders from Chisokone to Nakadoli market.
Mr Chikwa said marketeers were ready to differ with the local authority over its stance because it had shown that it has no regard for the marketeers.
“Kitwe is not the home for one individual who should just wake up in the morning and make a decision for people to see that he is working. No, that is not the way things work. Today, you move street vendors from the streets, the following day you want to move tomato wholesale traders from Chisokone to Nakadoli market.
“Just imagine, before the wounds of removing people from the streets can be healed, another thing comes up. It is not the fault of marketeers that the Nakadoli market is a white elephant, hence no one should force marketeers to go to Nakadoli market,” Mr Chikwa said.
