Africa-Press – Zambia. Traders in Kitwe’s Chisokone market have threatened to hold massive protests against alleged failure by the Zambia Immigration Department to control the influx of foreigners trading illegally.
The traders have also accused the foreigners of engaging in retailing instead of selling wholesale merchandise, a situation they said has disadvantaged the local traders as foreigners are selling their merchandise cheaply.
Speaking with ZANIS in Kitwe today Association of Vendors and Marketeers (AVEMA) President Abel Chikwa said the Immigration department officers should be proactive and remove all foreigners conducting business without work permits.
“There is an influx of foreigners trading illegally in Chisokone market and they are disadvantaging Zambians as they are retailing their products cheaply, we need to be protected because we cannot compete with them, as Zambians we cannot go to their countries and just start trading, we need government to intervene,” Mr. Chikwa said.
He noted that the same foreigners who are owning shops are employing their own children instead of employing Zambian youths. And AVEMA Kitwe District Chairman Astone Sakala appealed to the Kitwe City council to ensure that foreigners are restricted to the wholesale business instead of retailing.
Mr. Sakala said it was unfortunate that foreigners are doing small businesses such as manicure and pedicure, and hair plaiting which should ideally be left to Zambians.
And Kitwe District Commissioner Lawrence Mwanza said all illegal foreign traders will be removed as everyone ought to do business within the confines of the law.
”We are not going to allow foreigners to trade without trading documents, there are laws in Zambia just as there are laws in Tanzania, we will remove everyone without documents,” Mr. Mwanza warned.
Mr. Mwanza however noted that the local traders are in the habit of alerting foreigners when the Immigration department undertakes clean-up operations.
He also noted that some traders have rented out their shops to Tanzanian traders and now they want to use government to have the foreigners chased so they get back the shops without paying back.
“Immediately we go there to remove the Tanzanians, the same Zambians alert the foreigners and they run away, others have rented their shops and they want government to remove the foreigners so that they do not pay pack the money they got, otherwise we encourage everyone to do business in a proper manner” Mr. Mwanza said. He however stated that government will address the situation as it involves two nations whose business ties should be promoted.
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