Zambian police block street vendors from marching to State House

LUSAKA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Police in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, on Monday blocked some street vendors who were marching to State House where they wanted to meet President Edgar Lungu to express their displeasure over trading places in the city.

The street vendors, mostly women, wanted to meet the Zambian leader and complain over lack of trading place at City Market where they have been temporarily accommodated after being removed from the streets.

On Sunday, the government announced that people removed from trading along the streets of the central business district as part of efforts to contain a cholera outbreak, will be moved to City Market on a temporary basis this week.

But the traders told local media that the space at the trading place was inadequate as all the space had been filled up and that they had nowhere to trade from.

The traders, who were marching from the central business district along Independence Avenue which leads to State House, were stopped by police officers who ordered them to return.

Pictures on various social media news sites showed the vendors running away as the police fired teargas to disperse them.

Zambia Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo confirmed that some vendors were blocked as they attempted to seek audience with the Zambian leader.

She said the vendors first regrouped in the morning with a view to go to State House but were blocked but later regrouped in the afternoon, a move that forced officers to fire teargas in order to disperse them.

Last Friday, the police arrested 55 street vendors after riots which rocked some parts of the city over delays in opening trading places. Enditem