Zambia: Zimba Town Council has rounded up 30 vendors doing business in the community for theie involvement in Illegal Trading. The business owners have confirmed their involvement in the alleged criminal activities.
Public Relation Officer for the Zimba Town Council, Mastone Moonze spoke to the media regarding this development. They have confirmed that these persons have pleaded guilty to the offences and asked for leniency.
The Public Relations Officer  Moonze disclosed that the vendors were fined between K50,000 to K150,000. Alternately, these accused wendors may face up to 90 days imprisonment for illegal trading.
The members of the community have shared that they are delighted with the decision of the town council. They shared that the vendors should have followed the rules which would benefit both the vendors and town council.
He observed that vendors were selling outside the market which is not a prescribed trading place. In this way, they were evading payment of levies to the Council.
Meanwhile, Moonze added that the penalty levies for street vendors will assist the council to generate funds. Tryness Mwiinga, who is  a vendor at Zimba Main Market, said the move by the council is good.
He also asked the vendors to take up the responsibility of cleaning the surroundings and the streets themselves rather than ‘shun’ to pay levies to the council.
She said vendors paying to the local authority will make their business legal to sell their merchandise in designated trading places.
Meanwhile, Mr Moonze said the authority will soon start arresting and prosecuting people buying merchandise from vendors selling in undesignated trading places.
He emphasised that the move is in an effort to curb street vending and rid off vendors.
PR Officer Moonze noted that the move is in view of the observed unhealthy customer behaviour of preferring to buy from streets instead of designated trading places. He said the preference by customers to buy from the streets is what is promoting street vending.
The fact that the vendors prefer to conduct the businesses on the streets leads to loss of revenue to the local authority.