REMOVE VENDORS OR WE MOVE IN – GOVT

By IRVIN MUYUMBWATHE Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has hinted that if the Lusaka City Council fails to systematically deal with street vending in the Central Business District it will prevail to ensure sanity in the area. Permanent Secretary for Administration Mambo Hamaundu in an interview said it was of concern that the council had not dealt with the vending situation which had been perpetuated for a long time. Mr Hamaundu noted that while many people were vending on the streets, city market and old Soweto markets had an excess of 2, 500 market spaces that remained unoccupied.He said the available market spaces at the two facilities were adequate to accommodate almost all the vendors trading from the CBD.“There is need for the public to have a change of mind-set and adopt an attitude of buying goods in designated market places to discourage vending which compromises public health and hygiene,” Mr Hamaundu said.