LCC to relocate street traders in five-phase decongestion plan….mayor-elect Mwewa Chitambala leads market inspections to transition roadside vendors into designated stalls and roll out electronic levy systems

LCC to relocate street traders in five-phase decongestion plan….mayor-elect Mwewa Chitambala leads market inspections to transition roadside vendors into designated stalls and roll out electronic levy systems By DAVID KANDUZAIN a major move to restore order and enhance public safety in the capital, Lusaka mayor-elect Mwewa Chitambala today, September 9, 2026, led a high-level council […]

LCC to relocate street traders in five-phase decongestion plan
….mayor-elect Mwewa Chitambala leads market inspections to transition roadside vendors into designated stalls and roll out electronic levy systems

By DAVID KANDUZA
IN a major move to restore order and enhance public safety in the capital, Lusaka mayor-elect Mwewa Chitambala today, September 9, 2026, led a high-level council delegation to inspect vacant spaces inside the Simon Mwewa Lane Market.

The inspection formed the first phase of a broader initiative aimed at relocating street vendors who were operating on the road stretching from the corner of Kalusha Bwalya Road, through Simon Mwewa Lane, up to Chibolya Basic School.

.Trading on the active lane had severely compromised local logistics, resulting in heavy traffic congestion and presenting severe safety hazards for motorists and the traders themselves.

“The data of the affected traders will be recorded through the Office of the Market Master before they are re-designated into the market,” Mr Chitambala stated during the tour.

“This is phase one of the exercise aimed at bringing order and sanity to the trading area,” he said.

The mayor-Eeect revealed that the decongestion strategy would be rolled out in five distinct phases.

Once successfully implemented at Simon Mwewa Lane, the model would be replicated across other troubled spots within the Central Business District (CBD) and broader sections of the city.

Following the physical assessment, Mr Chitambala convened a planning meeting with Council Police chief security officer Jonathan Nkhata and public relations manager  Chola Mwamba to finalise the enforcement and communication blueprints for the upcoming phases.

To ensure long-term sustainability and transparency, the mayor-elect announced that all relocated traders would be required to transition to an electronic payment system to remit their market levies.

The council expected this digital migration to minimise revenue leakages while boosting financial accountability and operational efficiency across municipal markets.