By ISAAC MUKANDO –
THE Kitwe City Council (KCC) yesterday swung into action and demolished all makeshift stalls in the town centre.
Council police officers demolished makeshift structures within town centre around midnight, a move that shocked traders who found their structures razed in the morning.
KCC acting public relations manager Dorothy Sampa said the local authority was forced to demolish all makeshift stalls in the town centre ahead of the Zambia Open golf tournament to be hosted in Kitwe later this year.
Ms Sampa said the main aim of the operation was to ensure that the town centre and surrounding areas were kept clean as the city prepared for the golf tournament to be hosted at the Nkana Golf Club.
“Our operation is purely meant to keep the city clean ahead of the hosting of the Zambia Open golf tournament scheduled for this year, hence we want to ensure that we do away with makeshift stalls around town centre,” Ms Sampa said.
She said the council was not discouraging street vending but it only wanted to ensure that vendors operated under clean conditions.
Ms Sampa said the council did not want to encourage the use of permanent makeshift stalls such as those made of wood.
