REMOVE STREET VENDORS WITH DIGNITY, MINISTER TELLS LUSAKA MAYOR.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Gift Sialubalo has urged Lusaka Mayor Mwewa Chitambala to ensure that street vendors are removed from undesignated trading areas with dignity.
Mr Sialubalo says Lusaka City Council and other local authorities across the country must ensure that street vendors are relocated without being harassed or subjected to undignified treatment.
The Minister’s remarks come after Lusaka Mayor Mwewa Chitambala launched Operation Clear Path on October 2, 2026, which saw Lusaka City Council, working with the Zambia Police Service, remove street vendors from major roads in the Central Business District.
The operation targeted trading activities along Lumumba Road, Simon Mwewa Lane, Freedom Way, Cha Cha Cha Road, Cairo Road and Ben Bella Road, as well as areas around FINDECO House and Kafue Roundabout.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Sialubalo disclosed that Lusaka City Council has more than 14,000 trading spaces across 34 markets, but only 405 have so far been allocated to traders.
He said Lusaka has approximately 8,000 registered street vendors who could be accommodated in the available market spaces.
The Minister has since urged local authorities to sensitise traders about the available trading spaces and ensure that enforcement officers treat them with dignity during relocation exercises.
He further disclosed that Lusaka City Council has introduced regular patrols to prevent street vendors from returning to undesignated trading areas following the launch of Operation Clear Path.
Meanwhile, Mayor Chitambala has maintained that the removal of street vendors is aimed at restoring order, cleanliness and sanity in the capital city, rather than punishing traders. -Zambian Watch.
What exactly is the minister talking about?
There is no dignity in breaking the law.
Street vendors chose to ignore the law and should not expect to be treated with dignity.