NUISANCE ILLEGAL TRADERS

WHAT is happening at Kabwata high-rise flats in Lusaka, where scores of illegal traders have invaded the premises to ply their businesses, amounts to anarchy and is unacceptable.

The residents have all the reason to complain about the traders who were trading within the premises, littering the grounds, urinating and even digging holes to help themselves thereby posing a health hazard.

The stench from the urine and human waste is a nagging nuisance the residents say they have had to grapple with under the prevailing circumstances.

Even worse, the entrances to the premises had been turned into an illegal taxi ranks, which had left the tenants caged against their will. As a result, it was difficult for them to enter or leave their premises.

This is why the tenants want the traders, whom they accuse of illegally extending the market beyond the authorised space, removed as sanitary conditions at the premises had deteriorated mainly because of them.

It is unacceptable that despite the expiry of the seven days’ notice given to the traders by Lusaka City Council (LCC) to vacate the place, they had stayed put.

LCC public relations manager Daniel Sichimba has assured the residents that the council would visit the place to ensure the traders were flushed out to restore sanity at the besieged flats.

The sooner the council moves in, the better. Before traders extend their illicit trading activities further and it would seem nothing will stop them.

With entrances to the premises turned into taxi ranks, the whole scenario smacks of confusion and the residents are in order to complain about noise pollution.

But that that’s not all, the presence of the traders and the taxi ranks, only serves to make the residents feel insecure because it was a recipe for petty thefts too.

Therefore, it’s only fair that the LCC quickly acts quickly to prevent a similar situation from happening elsewhere in Lusaka.

It is such anarchy that causes people to lose confidence in the LCC which is supposed to enforce by-laws pertaining to public health not withstanding street vending, among others.

If the seven-day ultimatum given to the vendors had long expired why are the vendors still trading at the premises if we may ask?

There are no reasons for them to continue inconveniencing the tenants at the flats… they must find alternative trading spaces.

The residents deserve the peace and sanity which they used to enjoy before traders encroached on their premises. We implore the local authority to ensure the plight of the tenants is looked into.

While we understand times are hard, especially now in the wake of Covid-19, there is no justification for citizens to break the law by encroaching on others people’s yards to trade illegally, what with the need to maintain social distances in place.

Why in the first place, where the traders allowed to operate from the premises of the flats because it is common sense that once a small number of traders is allowed to trade in some place, more will follow suit.

Consequently, taxi drivers usually take advantage of the situation to start an illegal taxi rank – that’s seems to be the trend wherever vendors have “set up camp.”  It does happen!

But the law on street vending is very clear – it is illegal. Yet the vendors be it in the Lusaka central business district continue operating in undesignated places.

They have now moved into undesignated places in residential areas as has happened in Kabwata.

This is intolerable, the more reason the Kabwata high-rise flats invaders must go.