CEASAR MBEWE writes
KANYAMA’S Bwafwano marketeers have appealed to the Immigration Department to clean up the market by flushing out foreigners running businesses there with fake documents.
A good number of foreigners were reported to have opened shops in the market and other areas of Kanyama with no proper documents.
One of the concerned Zambian traders, John Mutambo, a shop owner said the locals who were already facing enough economic challenges should not shoulder illegal foreigners opening shops in their area.
Mr. Mutambo said the number of illegal foreign traders had increased over the past three years, thereby stealing business from Zambians
“There too many foreigners who are illegally opening shops in Kanyama, these people are making our lives harder because what they are doing should be left to Zambians.
“It is in this light we are appealing to the immigration department to move in and carry out an inspection and quickly flush out these illegal foreign traders,” said Mr Mutambo.
Another marketeer, Maureen Maambo said the foreigners were welcome to Zambia provided they came in through a legal way but that they should leave small business for locals.
“Imagine ma Zambians yayenda ku Rwanda noyambo kusegula small shops there banga tileke, elo worse no ma papers yo nkalila mu country balibe aba ma foreigners,” Ms. Maambo said
Meanwhile in a related incident, residents in Lusaka’s Makeni Simoson area have also complained of a large number of foreigners doing business there, blaming it on corrupt officials at Makeni UN refuge transit camp.
One of the residents, Owen Phiri, a taxi driver said there was a large number of foreigners owning various businesses without proper documents because they allegedly corrupted some officials at the United Nations Refuge transit in Makeni.
Another resident, a car wash owner Musonda Kasonde said the foreigners were now buying land and houses in the area, a situation he said would be a problem for immigration to solve later.
The immigration department could not be immediately reached for a comment.
