Mwewa says the solution is not to tolerate street vending indefinitely, but to ensure traders operate from designated markets.
“The truth is, it is impossible to have a clean city with street vending. The final solution is the markets. Muma markets mweve muzangena.”
The statement signals what could become a major policy direction for the incoming Lusaka city leadership, particularly as authorities continue to grapple with congestion, waste management, pedestrian safety and unregulated trading in busy parts of the capital.
Street vending has long been a complicated issue in Lusaka. For thousands of residents, selling goods on the streets provides an important source of income and, in many cases, a means of survival. At the same time, unregulated vending has contributed to congestion, obstruction of pedestrian walkways and difficulties in maintaining public spaces.
Mwewa's emphasis on markets therefore places the debate around relocation rather than simply removing traders from the streets.
For such a policy to succeed, however, markets would need to provide adequate space, accessibility, sanitation, security and affordable trading facilities. Traders would also need to see sufficient economic value in moving from established roadside locations to designated markets.
The challenge for the new city leadership will be balancing the need for a cleaner and better-organised Lusaka with the economic realities facing people who depend on informal trading.
The mayor-elect's remarks suggest that his administration could favour a more structured approach in which street traders are progressively moved into formal trading spaces.
Whether that approach can be implemented without disrupting livelihoods — while actually improving the city's appearance and functionality — is likely to become one of the key urban-management tests facing the new Lusaka leadership.
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