TRANSPORT operators and marketeers are elated with the removal of political party carders from bus stations and markets with the Lusaka City Council (LCC) projecting to increase its revenue collection from the current K 1.5 million to K 3. 5million monthly.
Lusaka Town Clerk Alex Mwansa said LCC had taken back the running of Intercity Bus Terminus which had for a long time been managed by political party cadres thereby depriving the council of the much needed revenue.
Mr. Mwansa said in an interview yesterday shortly after inspecting the station that the local authority was losing close to two million Kwacha in revenue every month which could have been channeled to the improvement of infrastructure at the station.
“We have taken over the running of Intercity main terminus, this will also be escalated to the other bus stations and markets such as Soweto and what this entails is that all aspects of this station will be managed by LCC
because as you may be aware we were losing close to two million Kwacha per month and that is what we want to capitalize on now,” he said.
Mr. Mwansa says the removal of cadres would boost revenue collection for the local authority as well as create a conducive environment for the travelling public the vacuum would be filled by deserving youths that will be deployed using a transparent process.
On accountability, Mr. Mwansa said the council would embrace digital platforms in order to do away with physical handling of cash in all the markets and bus stations to stop pilferage of resources generated.
He said the policy direction taken by the United Party for National Development (UPND) Alliance was commendable as it would enable council to capitalize on the revenue collection and help maintain the bus terminus.
Mr. Mwansa said the revenue collected would be ploughed back in markets and bus stations in order to improve on infrastructure and create a conducive environment for the travelers.
He said the council would also consider involved the private sector in areas were it will lack competence such as information management system which relates to revenue collection.
And Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja directed Police officers working with other stakeholders such as the Local Authority to ensure that responsible institutions take over the running of these business places and that order returns to these areas.
Mr. Kanganja said the President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema is very categorical on political violence as well of cadres occupation of markets and bus stations.
And some bus operators talked to expressed happiness saying the operations were much smoother now that they are free from unscrupulous people who charged them exorbitant amounts of money to operate.
Berthian Makina, UPND youth security and a driver for Automends Logistics said no party regalia would be allowed at Intercity Bus Terminus as this would allow people to operate freely without segregation.
“We are in support of stopping carderism in bus stations because this will bring sanity in the station and we do not need regalia because we want everyone to be free to come and work here regardless of their political affiliation, we are one Zambia one nation,” Mr. Makina said.
A Royal Africa driver Joseph Musenga proposed to President-elect Hakainde Hichilema to consider creating jobs for the carders that had been removed from the stations to prevent them from becoming hardcore criminals.
A marketeer talked to from City market Abigail Mulenga commended Mr. Hichilema for the pronouncement stating that she and other traders would no long work in fear and would now generate the much needed profits.
