An assessment of the management strategies to street vending: A case of Lusaka Central Business District of Zambia
Date
2015
Authors
Munkoyo, Nanjekana D.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
This study is an assessment of the management strategies to street vending in Lusaka’s Central Business District (CBD). The study inquired about who the players are in the management of street vending and their roles; the management strategies they have employed; the successes and failures of these strategies, if any; and finally, the reasons why challenges with street vending management have persisted.
This was a qualitative research, taking a case study design. The Sample was composed of forty street vendors, two officials from the Lusaka City Council (LCC), one official from the Ministry of Local Government, the United Street Vendors Foundation (USVEF) President and six marketers from the New Soweto Market, making a total sample of fifty respondents. Homogenous purposive sampling was used, self-selected and snow ball techniques were also employed. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis and observations. Data was analysed qualitatively using the themes that emerged from the literature review and objectives of the study.
The findings established that the LCC and the USVEF are involved in the management of street vending. The role of the LCC is to ensure that vending does not take place in the CBD as the practice is illegal according to the Statutory Instrument number 44 of 2007, which calls street vending as a Public Nuisance. The USVEF is the medium of communication between the government and the vendors. Strategies put in place include force; relocation and media sensitisation by the LCC. Other strategies on plan by the LCC and the Ministry of Local Government are: to gazette the CBD streets into specific merchandise; formalising vending as a legal business and eventually graduating vending as a recognised and appreciated form of trading; and government to partner with the private sector in order to construct adequate infrastructure to accommodate all the street vendors. The study further established that as a new plan, USVEF had zoned the CBD into forty-two with five member zone leaders with registers to supervise each zone. The study also established that as part of the new plan, USVEF had also registered and at the time of this study had 8 000 registered vendors. The study has found out that the failures established outweighed the successes. The study has further shown that challenges with street vending management had persisted because of: high poverty levels and lack of formal employment; political interference; lack of enforcement of the law and; massive migration of traders from various regions to Lusaka for business opportunities as a high customer base is found in Lusaka’s main roads and streets.
The study recommends that the Ministry of Local Government should ensure that political interference is discouraged and the LCC should be allowed to work independently for the law and strategies to be successfully enforced and implemented respectively. Laws and policies that relate to street vending must be explicit and easily accessible to the general public. Participatory strategies must be used, where street vendors are closely engaged in decision making and issuing of vending licences to enable government levy street vendors. The study further supports the new plans established by these civic leaders and organisation of formalising vending and graduating it into some kind of formal employment done in conducive and clean environment. The study has also endorsed the partnering initiative suggested of government and companies to construct permanent structures where legalized vending could take place.
Description
Keywords
Vending stands-Law and legislation , Vending stands-Management-Zambia