Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has disclosed that the Lusaka City Council notified the owners of the Luburma stores before demolishing the 18 makeshift stores at the market.
Mr Lusambo said the shop owners were communicated to in good time therefore the allegations of the LCC not communicating in time are baseless.
This follows the recent exercise by Lusaka City Council where 18 stores were demolished at Luburma market at Kamwala shopping complex.
Speaking during a Hot FM phone in programme yesterday, Mr Lusambo said Lusaka province has embarked on the exercise of cleaning up the city to ensure that sanity is upheld.
Mr. Lusambo stated that he engaged the Local authority to find out what really happened and is waiting for a report from the council.
He added that government is a pro poor government and has been working with the Zambian people to ensure that standards of living are improved.
Mr. Lusambo has since revealed that the issue at the market is under control.
And Mr. Lusambo noted that it is for this reason that government has provided many empowerment programmes to cater for different sectors of society such as women and the youth.
He said government is there to protect the interests of the people regardless of their social status.
He added that with regards to claims that Chinese officials bribed the local authority to demolish the stores, he said that is not true as government cannot be bribed to do the right thing because everything the government does is in the best interest of the Zambian people.
He further explained that the authority will always ensure that the interests of every Zambians are protected.
The minister further revealed that he will be meeting the affected traders today and is expecting a report from the local authority over the matter.
However, the traders who where talked to expressed shock at the development, stating that they were not notified over the demolition.
The traders also wondered why their structures have been demolished when they have trading licenses from the council further accusing the Chinese who are the majority shop owners of facilitating for the demolitions.
The traders also accused council police of stealing their goods, as they could not find any goods from their shops when they got to the scene early yesterday morning.
And Lusaka Deputy Mayor Chilando Chitangala explained that the demolitions are part of controlling measures that the council is undertaking in the setting up of structures in markets and other areas of the city.
And Patriotic Front Secretary General Davies Mwila described the destruction and looting of people’s merchandise stalls at Lusaka’s Kamwala market as heartless and criminal.
Mr. Mwila has since summoned Acting Lusaka Mayor, Chilando Chitangala to explain why the Council had gone ahead to demolish the market structures without giving the traders prior notice so that they could remove their merchandise from the stalls before the Council could move in to raze the structures.
Mr Mwila said that the action of the Council has jeopardized the very core of the traders’ survival and livelihood, adding that while the PF does not support illegality, it is extremely wrong and insensitive for the Council to destroy and loot people’s property.
Mr Mwila has since demanded that the Council compensates all the affected traders whose goods have been destroyed or looted, and further demanded for the immediate investigation of what transpired and who was involved in the looting.
Mr. Mwila appealed for calm and restraint from the affected traders as the party and Government look at corrective measures to help them.
Mscheeew ,dirty fitekwas from Luapula they always make a mess .Demolish all of them all and send these Zambian kikes back to Mansa their dirty homeland.
Since when did all marketeers come from Luapula??? Those are flawed tribalistic assumptions. Is that what would happen if your kainde became president?? Send these “Zambian kikes” from Luapula back to their “DIRTY” homeland?? Showing your true intentions???
@mzambia iwe how dare you? Mansa if anything is one of the best planned and cleanest towns in Zambia. Today Luapula is becoming the new mining and soon to be agricultural hub of Zambia. Luapula is blessed with abundant mineral resources as well as agricultural which is why so many Tongas are coming there to rear cattle. Have some respect for yourself. Don’t call my people Kikes- a derogatory term used by the Germans on the Jews.
Not to forget that Samfya is attracting a lot of attention in tourism.
There you have it disorganization of the highest order …yet you have the dull SG Mwila summoning the Mayor!!
Mzambia wherever you come from go and insult your family and leave my people alone. Thats why you will never get any vote from Luapula. Vendors come from eastern, southern, copperbelt, northern, luapula, everywhere. So the vendors in Solwezi are from Luapula? Vendors from Lusaka are from Luapula? Vendors from Southern are from Luapula? Vendors from Copperbelt are from Luapula? Vendors from Northern are from Luapula? Vendors in Eastern are from Luapula? Mzambia you must be a mentally retarded fella. Get some help to quench your hatred you have for the people of Luapula.
If these traders had trading licences acquired from LCC, LCC must refund the fees paid for the licences. LCC should refund fees, and compensate for damages & losses! It is their incompetence that caused this mess!
So the PF SG has no clue what the Lusaka Minister and municipality authority is doing? That sounds disjointed…
He need not have a clue, but should not comment on things he has no clue about.
And you have Bowman cleaning up for sleeping Mayor Wilson…how I wish madam Mwanawasa was Mayor of Lusaka!!
Dirty Zambians shame on you didn’t you learn from the cholera epidemic? Up your game ,be organized and throw mediocrity away.
When did the party become Lusaka City Council? Leave Local Authority matters to the council. You people don’t appreciate. You were busy posting pics of the mayor sleeping now he has waken up. Let him do his job. Moreover the vondors were notified in time and the structures are not part of the market design. This cadreism should stop please
They were not mere street vendors. They were traders legitimised by a Trading Licence acquired from the LCC!
Where was the council police when those illegal buildings were being built? It’s easier to stop people from building illegal structures in the foundation fuss than demolishing them.
So the issue for illegal structures in Zambia is far much deeper than we might think. Meaning some government officials are part and parcel of the illegality that are there.
Im sure some politicians benefited and now are out of power and here comes a new guy is in town with his new political condoms demolishing property of The old prostitute. The point is, poor uneducated people should stop supporting political parties. Know this, Politicians see human beings like condoms. Condoms think they are loved by the people before being used. Soon after using a condom we all throw them away. No one keeps…
Creating a problem from a procedure then amplifying the problem to make them look like they are solving big problems……
The structures were illigal, they were notified and demolished. Period.
Who approved the Trading licenses for these Traders, to be trading in illegal structures? It was Lusaka City Council. In this case whose mistake was it? Lusaka City Council
lusambo saying this and mwila saying that! so confused chaps
The Lusaka Minister has the jurisdiction to comment on the matter but the General secretary of PF do not have the jurisdiction to comment on the matter let alone start summoning council officers. This is not a party and its government(PIG) era because we are in the multi party dispensation.
i have told you several times that Mwila is one of the useless PF cadres; No compensation; the Kamwala shopping centre should be demolished aw sell; the Chinese should be told to build better shops or a better shopping mall; LCC should renogotiate the useless 99 yrs deal Kamwala chinese shops;
Mwila is a cadre and Lusambo is Minister. We want a clean trading area without kaponyas selling and stealing in the corridors. So ba Mayor continue demolishing all illegal stores.
@1.4 & 9…. hate Mwila or like him, he has a valid point on this matter. The mayor and her pipo shud have engaged the traders upto the last drop ensuring they remove their katuntu from the shops before demolition. behaving in a thuggery way doesnt help.
the PF SG has powers to summon anyone in authority on Pf tiket. In RSA, this happens to presidents, what more a mayor or lusambo.
Most pipo against Mwila are doing so to put PF in bad standing against masses.
@AKASHAMBATWA you have hit the nail on its head
@ Dr. Ngosa. Each one is working very hard to score cheap goals. On the topic at hand, I must say it is difficult to know who is telling the truth. From my experience, both traders and ba Council can lie to protect themselves.
@ Ba Mpundu, then one wud wonder if these guys meet and discuss serious governance issues? what powers does the SG of the political party have to direct the mayor?? The council too, shud have done this without destroying the traders properties.
Development means law and order. …..fibwasuleni tupemeko bwino
Do you Zambian really know what you are talking about??, wait for 5 to 10 years to come, this will affect each and every Zambian, How many Zambians own big shops?? ask yourselves those question? and by removing Economic Freedom from ourselves, do you really think we can be independent? I feel so sorry for a human being especially a Zambian, am sure God above sometimes shocks his head in awe when he looks at what kind of humanity he created, Ba Bowman Lusambo, Ba Jean Kapata, your time will come. Lets wait and see.
Mzambia wazami
The idiomatic comments coming from the above named moron shouldn’t go without any comment surely a normal person with five senses shouldn’t sink so low in blaming one part of Zambia for been responsible for the trash in Lusaka.
back to the issue raised it was only yesterday on ZNBC news were the PF Secretary general Mwila was should sternly condemning the act by the council fro destroying the shops / stalls. But now the Minister by the name of Lusambo is on the other side supporting the council.
This clearly indicates that there is no proper rule of law in the PF government, imagine the two top officials of the party contradicting themselves.
It was only recently when this same Minister, then the Copperbelt provincial Minister when he contradicted himself on several…
I have no doubt that going by the operations in Zambia, most of the demolished buildings had the blessing of the LCC i.e they have council papers and licenses. Working heads could have looked for an alternative place, compensate the traders since you authorized them in the first place then demolish. YOU HAVE PLANTED AND EXPECT YOUR HARVEST. AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO THE AFFECTED SO SHALL IT BE TO EVERY HAND INVOLVED!
no compensation..please ..let them move out..viva Lusambo for once..
Hon, MWAKALOMBE WAS UNDER PERFORMING LOOK AT BOWMAN NOW IN ACTION, MWAKALOMBE NEEDS TO BE FIRED FOR NON PERFORMANCE. In PF THEIR IS NO RESPECT FOR YOUR BOSS, EVERYONE IS A BOSS ON HIS OWN SO SG CAN SUMMON THE MAYOR which is not his work also no facts ah please these luapula dundruffs bazativuta, thus why no investors are interested in mansa and samfya cos. of this primitive behaviour, UPND will sort out all luapula primitive people by not appointing them to Government
I know that someone is trying to promote hate so that readers online can insinuate that the supporters of UPND are the ones attacking people of Luapula. The writer ANYOKO and others with hate for UPND could even be from Luapula or northern province hiding behind the key board. Anyone with normal five senses cannot think like that. Traders are from all walks of life including foreigners are all in the streets and market places doing business.
Who or what are ” Kikes” ?????
Mukali ku vina Dununa??
Kaili LUSAMBO ABWELA KUPWANYA!!
People need to know by now if it is illegal it is illegal. It is time to get the land someone is stealing in Namwala as well.
Well done illegal is illegal no more dirty votes needed.
The big question is? How did these traders obtain Trading Licenses from the Council? The procedures for issuing trading licenses as provided for under the Trading and Licensing Act Cap707 of the laws of Zambia are very clear and the District Commissioner for Lusaka Council knows very well about this
Let the Lusaka Council explain how they issued Trading licenses to these same traders