Over 1000 displaced traders, bus and taxi drivers at Masala Market in Ndola on the Copperbelt this morning staged a protest demanding the government`s intervention in the alleged sale of a piece of land at the market to a foreign national.
The aggrieved traders vandalized the said premises vowing not to allow the alleged owner to commence with construction works.
The traders do not want the said development to continue stating that they do not have anywhere to trade from following the gutting of Kapalala market.
They later stormed the Ndola District Commissioner Joseph Phiri’s office who promised to engage the council and give them a favorable response before the end of the day.
And Ndola City Council Public Relations Manager Rebecca Mushota says the local authority will counter check the documentation that the developer has.
Meanwhile, UPND Ndola District Spokesperson David Zimba who addressed the traders says the party in the district will stand and support what they want.
But when contacted, the alleged owner of the said land Aziz Adams referred all queries to his lawyer.
Meanwhile, calls to modernize Chisokone market that have in the past met resistance from marketeers have resurfaced with the Alliance for Zambia Informal Economy Association-AZIEA- urging the new dawn administration to consider resuming these plans.
AZIEA General Secretary Lameck Kashiwa has however proposed that this is done in full consultation with the marketeers to avoid the confusion and misunderstandings that occurred previously leading to the project failing to take off.
The umbrella organization for associations of informal worker organizations says marketeers and other informal sector workers were apprehensive about modernization of Chisokone as they were not consulted and only learnt that mopani copper mines had provided funding for the undertaking through the media leading to speculations that they would be displaced by foreigners.
In 2018, the then Local Government and Housing Minister Vincent Mwale announced that the chamber of mines was ready to finance the construction of a modernized Chisokone market, an announcement that was met with huge resistance by traders after reports alleged that the land had been sold to Chinese investors.
Indigents 1st!
Life under the dictatorship of hh. We warned you. You have made your bed, so lie in it
Life under the d.i.ctatorship of hh. We warned you. You have made your bed, so lie in it
Life under the upnd. We warned you. You have made your bed, so lie in it
@Nakazwe I have been looking for you my ex–, how can you getting married to a Hecker?
Ati baupwa ku musungu.
Municipal councils need to update allocation of areas marked for public trading. One can not deny the fact that those who trade in markets have the habit of annexing (squatting on) adjacent open areas to the existing market plot as their numbers increase and as soon as this happens it becomes political! Squatters have no sense of organizing to “purchase” land that they squat on and quickly turn it into a trump card for the selfish politicians!
If it’s the same Aziz Adams that I know, then I don’t think it’s correct to refer to him in that manner. You can’t stand in the way of development. If he has bought that land then he should be allowed to enjoy his right to ownership. I remember how those crooks that used to sell stolen items at former ESCO premises resisted the Levy Junction project, in the same manner that others resisted the sale of Kalingalinga community police post, but have you seen which structures stand there? The council should just find them an alternative
”We warned you. You have made your bed, so lie in it” Who did you warn?? Just say that you are feeling sad because you do not and no longer have access to government money and resources. Too bad for you because you will continue yapping until 2026 which is still very very far. The Zambian people are not missing PF, only those who benefitted from the stealing are missing PF. CHIKONKO MWIKATE.
T0mba no call
#6 Kaiser that’s unbecoming of someone who has been to school.
Next to go is Mapolopoto…. just waiting for a way to convince the residents.