Solwezi residents have rejected the move to re-locate big bus operators to city mall.
This follows Solwezi Municipal Council’s resolution to approve an application from Solwezi City Mall to allocate part of its parking space as a temporal bus station in order to decongest the central business area.
Solwezi Municipal Council, Assistant Public Relations Manager, Esther Chirwa said the residents have rejected the decision by the council which was made during a consultative meeting held on December 26, 2017.
Ms Chirwa said the residents are concerned that re-locating the bus station to city mall would compromise security, lower standards of toilets and increase street vending.
She stated that City mall Management also outlined measures to address the public health and safety concerns raised by members of the public but they were still rejected.
Ms Chirwa disclosed that city mall management had applied to the local authority to have big buses operate from the mall in order to attract more people because many of the shops at the mall have closed due to lack of business.
she added that the mall management have an option of either withdrawing their request or preparing a written submission with minutes of the full council and the stakeholders’ meeting for the Minister of Local Government’s consideration and determination.
Meanwhile, Solwezi Municipal Council Town Clerk, Mbulo Seke said the Zambia National Service (ZNS) land which is next to the Solwezi City Mall has been earmarked for a modern Inter-city bus terminal.
Mr. Mbulo said this can be the lasting solution but the project can only kick off after ZNS has been re-located to an alternative land.
This was contained in a statement availed to ZANIS in Solwezi yesterday.
Always involve or rather engage communities before making such decisions.. Mwabashani mwebantu imwee….
It’s a good idea,
This is the same issue Kalaba is talking about, juat coz there is a foreigner selling at Solwezi City Mall, and says we move the bus station there, ati lets do it…what of that ordinary Zambian shop that needs same traffic of pipo to remain in business, where have we.considered that…so takuli, bus station remains at the same market..finish, jst deal with issue of congestion, get buses to not park there before start loading pipo(this is same as whats done in Lsk intercity bus terminals)…we are reclaiming whats ours, Zambia interest first…not ubufufuntungu ubu…
Have you ever been to Solwezi? Do you know the place where big buses load from?
I have been in Solwezi several times, and I can tell u the place has drainage and sanitation issues, which the same Solwezi City Mall, if they genuinely want to contribute, would sort out while the station is at the Market…….solet them sort that, and we can talk in 40 years time, when those traders have out grown themselves, en make a Mall right at that market…
Can’t say anything I last went to Solwezi in the 1980s same time Dr Sondashi banned bemba language and non nwp citizens from attending colleges based in North Western Province.
Balongo, learn to embrace change! Just ban street vendors otherwise this is a progressive and long overdue move! Solwezi Municipal is encouraged to relocate the buses and clean up the town of all cholera causing street vendors! Don’t relent on this one. It’s time to enforce order in this country otherwise we are doomed! I am sure we are all feeling the effects of cholera. Schools won’t reopen until after the rains.
I don’t quite understand the reason for the Resistance. Solwezi City Mall is ten times a better alternative. Its more spacious, has excellent facilities and better security. What security risk are they talking about? Let’s be real. The resistance can only come from vendors and the council who will lose out as business would shift to the mall owners
I would like to congratulate the residents of solwez Chalo cha Mali for rejecting that useless offer… Secondly,why do (us) Africans fall easily into other people’s traps? Honestly , can we fail to construct a conducive Intercity bus station in solwez. Come to think of it, how much do those big busses pay per departure? It’s high time we became serious as Zambians. please let us learn to embrace our poor Zambian citizens not the rich outsiders.. think of the next generation, that City Mall is not for the poor Zambians but for the rich outsiders. Think big Zambian leaders please