MARKETEERS in Kitwe’s Buchi and Kamitondo townships who refused to conduct their business in the European Union (EU)-funded modern market have started using the facility.
Kitwe City Council (KCC) director of community environment and health services Monica Mwanza said 70 percent of the marketeers have moved into the new facility.
Ms Mwanza said the residents are happy with the EU-funded Buchi-Kamitondo modern market.
She was speaking in Kitwe on Monday during a special full council meeting.
“I would like to report that the traders in Buchi and Kamitondo townships have moved into the new building and about 70 percent of the traders are conducting their business inside the market,” she said.
Ms Mwanza said it is sad that some residents have vandalised the lavatories and other infrastructure at the modern market.
She said there is urgent need to rehabilitate the damaged market infrastructure.
“We want to appeal to our people to desist from acts of vandalism. We are also facing the challenge at Nakadoli market where some people are reluctant to move into the main building,” she said.
And Kitwe mayor Elias Kamanga has castigated KCC management for allegedly failing to convince marketeers to conduct their business in the three modern markets that the EU funded in Kitwe.
“The council must be blamed for failing to tell the people the importance of using the modern markets. A lot of money was spent on these facilities. It is therefore important that council management works towards ensuring that the people start using the facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kamanga has castigated three Patriotic Front (PF) members of Parliament in Kitwe who have allegedly refused to contribute K250 million from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) towards the purchase of a grader.
He named the MPs as Bernarbus Chellah (Wusakile), Lombe Mulenga (Kwacha) and Mwenya Musenge (Nkana).
Mr Kamanga said it is unfortunate that the MPs have allegedly ignored the council resolution that each constituency should contribute K250 million towards the purchase of the grader.
“This is not their money. As councillors we made a resolution that each constituency must contribute K250 million towards the purchasing of a grader for road rehabilitation in Kitwe, but three constituencies have refused to contribute. As a council we are not going to approve any project that these people will undertake because they have also refused to do what we agreed on as councillors,” he said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Hi guys lets work together and improve our road network , contribute a ZMK 250M simple as all that , moreover that money for developmental projects and road network is one of them.
I guess before we condemn the MPs it would be nice to hear from them what problem they have with contrbuting the money. Could be that they have no confidence that the money will be used for the intended purpose. Regarding the markets funded by the EC, I hope their was a consultative process between the EC, the Council and the marketers. A key problem with donar funded projects is that their is no sense of ownership by the beneficiaries especially if they had no say in the project. One way to avoid this and ensure that their is a sense of ownership is to ask for contribution from the beneficiaries, even if just a token amount or in kind. If their is a shared risk/cost then they will take of the facilities properly as their own
Iwe kamanga,leave council management alone.It is you councilors to educate your voters.You stay with those people.Management resides in Park lands and Riverside.Learn to accept your shortcomings.Wiingilila abaice pantu fye Ali Simwinga alicita retire.
We don’t only need a grader in Kitwe, but new roads. The graders are being used to do the wrong job. Each year, the graders are erroding the soil or earth from the surface, instead of using them as just part of the required equipment in road rebuilding.
No to graders, let rebuild the roads properly!
Where are these markets situated? Please show us their photos! And it is sad that people can vandalize the gift. Why doen’t the Police get ’em? This is very retrogressive to steal from a community project.