Maravi

Street vendors jostle for space in Ndola

Street vendors jostle for space in Ndola
By Fridah Nkonde in Ndola
Sun 18 Dec. 2011, 13:55 CAT

STREET vendors yesterday moved into Ndola's Central Business District jostling for trading space following President Michael Sata's directive to local authorities not to chase them. President Sata has ordered councils countrywide to leave street vendors and those running car wash points to operate without hindrance.

Confusion reigned in the town centre when two groups of more than a hundred vendors exchanged expletives, as the urban vendors could not allow those coming from other townships to trade in town.

In an interview, Vendors Association chairman Francia Mwape Kaputula said their association was not going to allow those coming from Masala, Chifubu, Kabushi and other townships to conduct their businesses in the town centre because they had stands where they were coming from.

"We don't understand why these people are coming here because they don't belong here. They have stands in markets where they are coming from. They just want to bring confusion in town and we will not allow it," he said.

Kaputula said he knew the people that had been vending in town and that he would not just let anyone to move into town because it would create confusion.

"What we do not want is for our beloved President to change his mind about the statement he made concerning street vending. We want to maintain our places and do business in an orderly manner. We don't want our town to become dirty because that will bring about a lot of diseases like cholera. We have restricted ourselves from reaching Shoprite area because our town will look untidy," he said.

And Vendors Association chairlady Margaret Chalwe said President Sata had done a great thing for the street vendors and that there was need for them to operate in a good and orderly manner.

Chalwe said the association had come up with a vigilante force amongst themselves to prevent other vendors from getting into town.

"We know who operates in town and who does not. All those people you are seeing there are from Chifubu, Masala, Kabushi and other towns. We will not beat or harass them but we will only chase them just as we have done today. We will continue chasing them if at all they continue coming to disturb us," she said.

Chalwe said they had all the rights to chase those that never used to trade in town and that they would do everything possible to keep them away.

"These are the people who used to bring confusion even before the President issued this directive. They would at times come to do their business in town and when the council come to chase all of us, they would happily go back to their stands and leave us who do not have stands to suffer. So they should also leave us to do our business," she said.

She said there had been street vendors since 1983 when Mulungushi Market where they had stands got burnt.

Meanwhile, Sandra Silitonga, a vendor from Masala, who spoke on behalf of vendors from other townships, said the directive made by President Sata was not going to work due to Chalwe's as all vendors wanted to do their business in town.

Silitonga said they all wanted to trade in town because most of the people did their shopping in town.

"There is no business where we are coming from. Town centre is for everyone and as long as we all voted for President Sata, we will all come and trade in town. Allowing a few individuals to sell in town won't work. For me, I can't continue selling in Masala because I don't make profit that side and it is because of the people that sell in town who sell things at a very cheap price affecting us who do not sell in town," said Silitonga.

Labels: MARKETEERS, NDOLA

posted by MrK @ 4:54 PM