The Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it has suspended the registration of modified wheelbarrows in its major markets.
Council Public Relations Manager George Sichimba said this is to pave way for further consultation with all stakeholders, following several concerns over the Council resolution.
Mr. Sichimba stated that the local authority has taken into consideration all concerns raised by various stakeholders and decided to suspend the exercise until consensus is reached.
He added that consultations will now be extended to wheelbarrow owners, pushers, market committees, traders and relevant government departments, among others.
He said modified wheelbarrows are a common feature in major markets of Lusaka and are hired by some traders to transport bulk merchandise.
“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),” Mr. Sichimba stated.
And Mr. Sichimba said during its First Ordinary Meeting held on 26th May, 2020, the Council 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.
He explained that the decision arose because the LCC has been receiving complaints 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.
“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 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,” he said.