Wed, 26 Oct 2016 10:15:19 +0000
MARKETEERS in Lusaka’s Soweto market have resolved to go back to the streets alleging lack of business in the markets due to increased vending on the streets.
The marketeers said they had been so dedicated to operating from the markets in line with the law, but it was time for them to rescind their decision and move to the streets because there was more business on the streets than trading from the markets as Government had for a long failed to control the situation on the streets by allowing other vendors to operate from the streets when they were supposed to be operating from the markets.
“We are tired of conducting business from the market because there is no business here. Our friends who are operating from the streets are making money because all the customers don’t come in the market knowing that whatever they want, they find it on the streets,’’ they said.
They further said there was no business in the markets because of the distance to the market for those customers coming from within town and outside town and that they only have business when people go to buy in large quantities. “Imagine someone is working from Cairo Road and they knock off around 17:00 hours.
Do you really think they can come and buy from the market when they can easily buy from the streets?” they asked. But Lusaka Province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe said he was aware of what the marketeers were going through at the moment but that street vending would be a thing of the past because his Government was doing everything possible to remove the street vendors and take them to designated trading areas.
He said that would only be done if more markets were built and rehabilitated especially in communities so that vendors did not have to go to central locations for trading. Mr Mwakalombe said as earlier indicated, he could not ask the vendors to vacate the streets before Government found a solution for them as it was Government’s intentions to satisfy all small scale business men and women and transform them into large scale business men and women.
