GOVT CAUTIONED AGAINST MOVE TO STOP COLLECTION OF LEVIES FROM STREET VENDORS
By Chileshe Mwango
The Alliance For Zambian Informal Economy Associations –AZIEA- has challenged government to provide safer and organized establishments for street vending as opposed to continuing issuing threats on street vendors.
In an interview with Phoenix News, Aziea General Secretary Lameck Kashiwa has cautioned government that stopping to collect levies from street vendors is not an absolute solution to the challenge.
Mr Kashiwa has wondered what will become of the streets where trading is done if local authorities decide to stop collecting the levies as a way of discouraging vending.
He has charged that government is contradicting itself by describing street vending as illegal as the markets and bus stations act provides for trading in the streets.
Mr. Kashiwa was reacting to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary in Charge of Administration Maambo Hamaundu’s directive to local authorities not to collect levies from street vendors trading from undesignated places.