LUSAKA ON THE MOVE
…Demolished stalls owners in shock as ‘Operation Cleanup’ rolls
By Charles Chisala and Thandizo Banda
LUSAKA yesterday looked strangely orderly as the city council implemented phase two of the removal of illegal traders and makeshift stalls from the central business district (CBD).
Meanwhile, political researcher Dr Cephas Mukuka has urged Lusaka residents to support mayor Chitambala Mwewa’s drive to remove street vendors from the CBD and relocate them to newly constructed markets.
A somber mood gripped the CBD in the morning when the street vendors, owners and operators of makeshift stalls along Lumumba Road, Los Angeles Road and other areas found their structures and stands demolished by a combined team of state and council police.
The demolition squad backed by armoured vehicles and police on horseback swung into action in the early hours of yesterday.
It moved from one point to another, demolishing and knocking down makeshift stalls, mobile money booths and stands.
As the traders and store owners began arriving for the day’s business, they could not believe their eyes as they found their stalls, booths and stands reduced to shapeless heaps of mangled steel and wood while knots of state and council police stood at strategic positions to keep vigil.
Small teams of the police could be seen patrolling the CBD on foot and in motor vehicles, including the now familiar blue Maverick anti-riot armoured personnel carrier.
The affected vendors and stall operators stood conversing in small groups while watching in disbelief as ‘swarms’ of scavengers, mostly junkies, shifted through what had once been their trading places.
Some of them were seen rummaging through the rubble and mangled steel to salvage whatever they could as they figured out what to do next.
The exercise began on Thursday after the expiry of the Tuesday September 29 ultimatum for the traders to move out on their own.
Street vendors and illegal stall/booth operators had invaded the CBD in large numbers, in some cases closing off entire streets and roads.
They had also commandeered the shop corridors on Freedomway, Lumumba, Chachacha, Cairo and Los Angeles roads, making movement difficult for pedestrians owners of shops and stores.
Lusaka Mayor Chitambala Mwewa has prioritised the removal and relocation of the vendors and stall operators to restore cleanliness in the capital city.
Meanwhile, political researcher Dr Cephas Mukuka has called on Lusaka residents to support Mayor Chitambala Mwewa’s drive to remove street vendors from the CBD and relocate them to newly constructed markets.
Dr Mukuka said in a statement at the weekend the exercise was necessary to restore sanity, improve security and prevent a potential cholera outbreak linked to unhygienic street food vending.
He said Zambia’s dirty image was hurting the country’s reputation, citing a 2017 incident where a Tanzanian acquaintance allegedly turned down a hospital job offer because she had read that Zambia was dirty.
“The time has come to deal with lawlessness at all levels. Let us put politics aside and rally behind our m ayor,” Dr Mukuka said.
He linked street vending to criminality, claiming some vendors collaborated with criminals to rob members of the public.
He recounted being robbed of K500 near Kulima Tower Bus Station in 1992 by thugs posing as second-hand clothes sellers and a 2008 incident at Lusaka City Market where he was targeted while shopping with his children.
Dr Mukuka said Mwewa is on firm ground as the affected vendors had been engaged before the operation and were being moved to more habitable and secure trading spaces, not sent home.
He said the mayor faced an uphill battle that included market sanity, billboards, garbage collection, poor roads and unvaccinated stray dogs, but the current dry season provided the right window to act.
“We need a clean and healthy nation. A healthy nation is a wealthy one,” he said.
The ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) has warned that it will not support street vending.
