Thu, 30 Mar 2017 11:57:05 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA
SOME suspected PF cadres at city market have reportedly started allocating trading spaces in the alleys earmarked for the relocation of street vendors.
One of the alleys off Cha Cha Cha Road has seen the erection of stand before the local authority could start the relocation of vendors.
This year Lusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba announced that the local authority has found trading spaces for the relocation of street vendors to bring sanity in the Central Business District of Lusaka.
But some suspected cadres are reported to have already started allocating trading spaces illegally without the authority from the council.
In an interview with Daily Nation, Moses Mwanango a vendor at town centre, said it was disappointing that some suspected PF cadres from city market had already started allocating trading spaces to some vendors.
He appealed to the council to quickly move in and arrest the situation before it got out of hand because people were paying huge sums of money to acquire the spaces.
“I have been seeing some PF cadres from city market giving trading spaces to some vendors from town centre and there are charging them K1,000 and above for trading space. As you can see they have even started putting put up stands without the authority from the council,” he said.
Another concerned vendor at Cha Cha Cha market, Evans Yombwe said it was unfair that PF cadres could start allocating illegal trading space before they could even carry the construction of the toilets among other amenities.
He said the cadres had taken advantage of the situation and were charging people free services, further calling upon the relevant authorities to move in quickly and stop the act.
“The problem is that these cadres have more powers than the police. So it is very difficult for the police to stop them because they are threatening them with loss of employment,” he said.
And Mr. Kalumba said the area had 4, 000 spaces for market stands and the council had so far raised K16,000 for the construction of the centre roads that were between Cairo and Cha Cha Cha Roads.
Mr Kalumba said the allocated space will be adequate to accommodate all the street vendors in the city and that the vendors would by April this year be
relocated.
