Minister says only 405 of over 14,000 available Lusaka market spaces have been allocated

LUSAKA. Only 405 of the more than 14,000 trading spaces available for immediate allocation in Lusaka have been allocated to traders, Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gift Sialubalo told Parliament on Tuesday. Mr Sialubalo told the National Assembly that Lusaka City Council runs 34 markets. He gave two figures for registered street vendors: about 80,000 in his ministerial statement, when he said they could easily be absorbed into the available spaces, and 8,000 when answering an MP. The minister insisted that nobody was losing the right to earn a living. "There is no one who is being stopped to trade," he told MPs. "All we are saying, go to a lawful trading space." ## What the minister acknowledged The minister accepted that moving traders is not enough on its own. Removing them without dealing with whether alternative sites are viable, accessible and affordable may not provide a lasting solution, he said. He also cited allegations of unfair allocation, one person holding several spaces, unauthorised subletting and demands for unofficial payments, saying they can undermine public confidence in market management. Councils are expected to keep accurate registers of stalls, vacant spaces and traders, make the approved charges known, and investigate credible complaints. "Market space is a public asset," he said, adding that the Government does not condone corruption, violence or the use of enforcement powers for personal gain. The minister said compliant marketeers have carried the burden of levies. He said levies have sometimes been seen as high because informal trading reduced the number of traders paying them. ## Operation Clear Path Operation Clear Path is a joint exercise by the council and Zambia Police. The council announced that street vending would not be permitted from Saturday 3 October. Mr Sialubalo said the operation has five phases and rests on the Markets and Bus Stations Act of 2007 and Statutory Instrument No. 12 of 2018. The fir