Disaster Management Unit aid 1 200 Kapalala marketeers aided

The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has come to the aid of the 1, 200 Main Masala Kapalala market fire victims by providing them with a 25kg bag of Mealie meal, 5kg Rice, 5 kg Beans and K1, 000 each.

ZANIS Ndola reports that DMMU Director of Operations Mr Paul Lupunga who delivered the relief items at the district administration said the Vice President Mrs Mutale Nalumango had fulfilled the promise that she made when she visited the victims at Kapalala market of sending them relief.

Mr Lupunga emphasised that the items were not compensation but rather relief to help lessen the burden that has befallen them as they are going through the trying moment.

And Ndola District Commissioner Joseph Phiri said the district was elated to receive the relief that the Vice President had promised.

Mr Phiri said the fire that burnt the market had not only affected Kabushi residents but rather the entire district because the market in question houses marketeers from all over the district.

“It’s not only Kabushi residents that have been affected, that market houses people from Chipulukusu, Chifubu, Kawama and many other areas, so that fire has affected the entire district,” he said.

Ndola Mayor Jones Kalyati thanked the Vice President through the DMMU for quickly responding to the victims and further encouraged the victims to be positive and refrain from negative confessions.

The Mayor has further warned those that want to take advantage of the situation that had befallen their friends, by pretending to be victims as well to stop the pretence and let the rightful victims benefit from the relief.

In her vote of thanks one of the victims, whose merchandise was burnt in the inferno, Esther Ngoma thanked the Vice President for honouring her promise in the shortest possible time.

Ms Ngoma said the relief food will help the affected families a lot as they had nowhere to turn to. She added that the K1, 000. cash would help her order some tomatoes to start with, so that she can revamp her business.

Ndola’s Main Masala Kapalala market was on Tuesday night burnt leaving about 1, 200 marketeers’ affected.

Meanwhile, all marketeers who lost their merchandise in the fire that recently swept through Riverside market and those whose restaurants were burnt at Kapiri-Mposhi Bus Stop in April this year have received relief emergency grants from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) under the Vice President’s Office.

This is in fulfilment of Republican Vice President Mutale Nalumango’s pronouncement yesterday, when she toured the gutted market, that government through DMMU will provide each affected marketeer monetary relief of K 1000, a 25 KG bag of mealie meal and 10 kg bags of rice and beans respectively.

The relief package is meant to cushion the impact of the loss of their businesses.

And speaking when he witnessed the payment of the traders at his office yesterday Kapiri-Mposhi District Commissioner, Francis Hasalama stated that government released K 80,000 to pay all the affected marketeers.

Mr Hasalama says further assistance inform of reconstruction of market stands will be provided to affected marketeers.

” These marketeers have come to get what the Vice President assured them of yesterday regarding their merchandise lost in fires recently at Riverside Market and earlier in April at Kapiri-Mposhi Bus Stop,” Mr Hasalama said.

And DMMU Central Province regional Coordinator, Mwansa Subulwa says the affected marketeers will also soon receive food relief packs.

Beneficiary marketeers have commended government through the DMMU for swiftly coming to their aid.

Getrude Mutambo who lost over K 17,500 worth of merchandise in form of bags of dry Kapenta says even if the money she has received is not as much as she lost in the inferno, it will give her something to restart her Business.

Ms Mutambo says she will use the money as start up capital for her business at the trading site.

” I order a bag of Kapenta at K 3000. So, I will just look for a top-up to order a bag and I will get by slowly,” Ms. Mutambo said.

Over K 615,000 worth of merchandise were destroyed Monday this week after fire swept through a storage house and about 27 shops at Riverside Market in Kapiri-Mposhi district.