By Watch Reporter

The Lusaka City Council has with immediate effect suspended wheelbarrow levy it imposed on Zambians.

This is after mounting pressure from Lusaka residents and the subsequent suspensions of the local authority by Minister in Charge.

More in the statement below

MEDIA STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE USE

LCC SUSPENDS REGISTRATION OF MODIFIED WHEELBARROWS IN MARKETS

Lusaka – Monday, 27th July, 2020

Lusaka City Council (LCC) has suspended the registration of modified wheelbarrows in its major markets to pave way for further consultation with all stakeholders.

The decision has been made following several concerns from some stakeholders over the Council resolution.

LCC has taken into consideration all concerns raised by various stakeholders and decided suspend the exercise until consensus is reached.

Consultations will now be extended to wheelbarrow owners, pushers, market committees, traders and relevant government departments, among others.

Modified wheelbarrows are a common feature in major markets of Lusaka and are hired by some traders to transport “bulk” merchandise within markets and other destinations.

The Council at its First Ordinary Meeting held on 26th May, 2020 approved the proposal to compel owners of modified wheelbarrows to clearly label each wheelbarrow with a unique identification number and the list be given to the market managements before they can access the trading areas.

The decision arose from the fact that LCC has been receiving complainants from some traders that hire wheelbarrows that some wheelbarrow pushers disappear with the merchandise and tracking them becomes difficult because wheelbarrows have no unique identification numbers.

The Council learnt that when traders hire wheelbarrow pushers to transport their merchandise from major markets, owners of the merchandise use buses to go and wait for goods at the agreed location.

However, some unscrupulous wheelbarrow pushers decide not to deliver the merchandise as agreed and instead disappear with the merchandise.

So, the decision was meant to protect traders who use this form of transport from losing their goods.

Some traders opt to hire modified wheelbarrows to transport merchandise from major markets where they order them to their trading places because it is relatively cheaper compared to hiring a van (vehicle).

LCC Management therefore started engaging the Wheelbarrows Association of Zambia to explain the rationale behind the Council resolution to their members.

While the association was was in agreement with the resolution, LCC has leant that many other stakeholders were left out during the consultation process hence the need to involve them and come up the general consensus before implementing the resolution.

Issued by:
George Sichimba
Public Relations Manager

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