Market boards
By ROGERS KALERO
ISSUES of street vending , modern markets and market boards are critical and that require social dialogue and not bulldozing by one group,” Alliance for Zambia informal Economy Associations. (AZIEA) General Secretary Lameck Kashiwa has said`.
But Kitwe Town Clerk Mbulo Seke said the law provides for individual marketeers and bus operators of bus services to elect their own representatives in the boards and not associations .
Mr Kashiwa said both government and the informal economy should be reasonable to understand each other in order to reach inclusive conclusions for the betterment of Kitwe and Zambia at large.
Mr Kashiwa said the Kitwe City Council (KCC) should be transparent and show leadership in dealing with the issue of market and bus station boards, saying the council have no right to choose who should be in the boards.
“If we want to take this country forward, all of us who have been given the opportunity to lead people, we must be objective and straight forward. President Hakainde Hichilema has shown true leadership by not allowing his cadres to take over from their colleagues in managing markets or bus station.
“He has made clear that we will not allow cadrerism in markets and other public institutions. That’s not an easy decision knowing the expectation from the UPND cadres who were geared to take forward the trend of stealing from the already impoverished citizens,” Mr Kashiwa said.
Mr Kashiwa said the trend has always been that government always speaks to unions and not individual workers.
“Remember marketeers and Bus drivers are workers. Our Town clerk for Kitwe should also know that the current Markets and Bus station has been contested by AZIEA on many issues including the number of representatives on the markets board,” he said.
But Kitwe Town Clerk Mbulo Seke said the market and bus station Act does not recognise associations, but individual marketeers and bus operators of bus services.
“The law provides for individual marketeers and bus operators of bus services to elect their own representatives in the boards and not associations.
“If there was a weakness in the law, the best forum to call for the amendment of the law was parliament,” Mr Seke said.
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