• LCC has posted a significant growth in revenue collected in the last seven months.
• This is because the local authority is now free to collect revenue from bus stations and markets without being disturbed.
• Actual statistics of the revenue collected has not yet been compiled
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says Lusaka City Council has posted a significant growth in revenue collected in the last seven months of 2022.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Permanent Secretary Mambo Hamaundu stated that this is because the local authority is now free to collect revenue from bus stations and markets without being disturbed by political party cadres.
“The resources from bus stations, markets and all public amenities are now collected by the Lusaka City Council without being harassed by political cadres, unlike what happened in the previous regime where cadres had the authority to collect revenue,” Mr. Hamaundu said.
Mr. Hamaundu emphasized that Government collects revenue to finance the goods and services they provide to citizens and businesses, and to fulfil their redistributive role.
He however said the actual statistics of the revenue that has been collected has not yet been compiled but states that the Council’s revenue base has drastically increased.
Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema made it clear that his Government will not tolerate caderism in markets and bus stations.
President Hichilema said his administration will never backpedal on its call to remove cadres from bus stations and trading places, adding that the debate on cadres returning to markets and bus stations should come to an end.
The Head of State explained that under the PF Government cadres took over the running of markets and bus stations which disadvantaged councils and many innocent citizens whose trading stalls were taken away from them.
