An organisation representing street vendors has demanded better treatment of their members by local authorities.
United Street Vendors Foundation Spokesperson, Patrick Mubanga says that street vendors have the mandate from President, Michael Sata to trade on the street without being harassed.
Mr. Mubanga has also told Breeze News that the vendors should be allowed to trade freely because councils have failed to provide trading places.
He says that the foundation wants Chipata Municipal Council to allocate a street where the vendors can legally operate from because this is what has been done in Livingstone.
And Mr. Mubanga says that the foundation has embarked on an exercise to establish challenges, which street vendors in Eastern Province are facing.
He says that the foundation also wants the street vendors to graduate from trading on the streets to being small and medium entrepreneurs.