Street vendors sue Masebo
Street vendors sue MaseboBy Inonge Noyoo and Carol Jilombo
Wednesday May 02, 2007 [12:12]
Five hundred street vendors from Lusaka's main streets have sued local government and housing minister Sylvia Masebo over the demolition of their stands. And the Unemployment Association of Zambia (UNAZ) has given the government a 29-day ultimatum to remove police officers from the streets in town centre or face demonstrations from the vendors.
According to a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court by opposition Patriotic Front lawyer Matthew Pikiti on behalf of the vendors, Christopher Kangwa and 502 others who were initially located at town centre market but relocated to the streets of Chiparamba, Freedom Way, Cha Cha Cha, Katondo, Nkwazi, and Kulima Tower, have sued Masebo, Lusaka City Council (LCC) and the Attorney General.
The vendors are demanding that each be rewarded K50 million for their destroyed stands, goods, loss of business and capacity to look after themselves and their families. They are claiming that they had valuable goods worth millions of kwacha which were destroyed during an operation by LCC.
They also want the court to order Masebo to pay adequate compensation to each of them for loss of business and malicious damage of their goods and stands and that Masebo together with LCC and the Attorney General should allow them to trade as vendors on the appropriate streets until alternative locations were found.
The vendors are further pleading with the court to order the LCC to find them alternative market locations within a reasonable time. In their statement of claim, the vendors are claiming that Masebo took personal interest beyond her powers as minister by directing the council to demolish their stands. They stated that Masebo directed the demolition of the stands without the council passing a resolution as the local authority in charge of the City of Lusaka.
The vendors also alleged that officials of LCC and Zambia Police on personal instructions of Masebo took part in the destruction of their stands and goods without obtaining the approval of the council.
They averred that since they were paying daily vending permits, vending was duly authorised because if they were illegal traders such permits would not have been issued to them.
The vendors argued that the press release issued on behalf of LCC as notice to all street vendors, illegal car washers and illegal land developers was issued in bad faith and without authority of the city council because there was no council resolution to allow such an action.
The street vendors stated that they were not illegal vendors to be ambushed and have their properties destroyed at will. They stated that they had families to look after and to meet other obligations and they needed an alternative location where they could continue trading to enable them meet their daily obligations.
They also asserted that the demolitions of their stands had totally curtailed and reduced them to nothing as they were no longer capable of meeting costs of all their needs, requirements and obligations.
They stated that they were clear beyond reasonable doubt that Masebo, LCC and the Attorney General were responsible for their current incapacitation to meet their responsibilities.
The vendors are being represented by Pikiti who is also member of the PF committee on local government.
And UNAZ president Mpundu Mwanamwelwa condemned the government for resolving to use what he called 'heavy' guns and violence to remove poverty stricken vendors without addressing the high levels of unemployement in the country. He said the association did not support street vending because it was illegal but that they were blaming government for the increasing number of street vendors in Zambia.
Labels: LCC, MARKETEERS, SYLVIA MASEBO
posted by MrK @ 6:25 PM
1 Comments:
I love it. Street vendors, even ones with illegal stands, have rights too.
I also think that the LCC and mrs. Masebo could have come up with a much more elegant solution to unrestricted growth of the number of street stands, which obviously would be a problem for the city.
What I think has to happen, is an acknowledgement that street vendors are potential official business people, and that they have a right to ply their wares in a location that is centrally located and has basic services (like water, electricity, restrooms, etc.).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home