The President of the Association of Vendors, Traders, and Marketeers of Zambia, Fredrick Tembo, has applauded the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for removing street vendors from the Lusaka Central Business District.
The Ministry of Local Government has successfully cleared street vendors from the Lusaka town center.
During an interview in Ndola, Mr. Tembo expressed his belief that the removal of vendors from the Lusaka Town Centre was long overdue and should be supported.
He called for an end to street vending not only in Lusaka but in all parts of the country.
Mr. Tembo suggested that the removal of street vendors from the Central Business District in Lusaka should be extended to all parts of the country.
He declared that street vending must not be tolerated because people are avoiding markets to trade on the streets.
Mr. Tembo commented, “The Government has done a lot in putting up market infrastructure, so we don’t want a situation where we find vendors trading on the streets when markets are empty. Let vendors go to markets. As market leaders, we will be very happy to see vendors trade in those acceptable infrastructures called markets.”
He also claimed that the country has enough markets to accommodate people selling in the streets.
“We are very much delighted by the move taken by the Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, in the sense that they have made the right decision by removing all street vendors. The Government has been spending colossal sums of money on those buildings called markets,” he said.
