By JOHN SAKALA
Chingola Municipal Council says the decision to demolish temporal stands at Chiwempala Market was done in good faith in order for marketeers to be trading in a conducive environment.
Chingola Municipal Council assistant Public Relations Manager Donna Mbalwe said the demolition of yesterday, January 16, 2019 was done to bring sanity at the market.
Ms Mbalwe said the local authority moved in to demolish the temporal stands which were installed after the roof of the shelter of salaula section was blown off by the strong winds in August last year.
”As council we decided to move out the salaula traders so that we could replace the roof as quickly as possible as we knew that during the rainy season the temporal structures were not going to be strong enough.
“The other major concern came from the traders themselves who requested the council to finish replacing the roof on time so that they could go back to where they were trading from. To our surprise, when the council completed the works and asked the same marketeers to go back, some traders started resisting and incited even others to refuse to go back,” she said.
She said the resistance made the council with the help of the Zambia Police to use false to demolish the temporal structures which were built on the roads within the market and this was causing challenges for motorists to move.
Mr Mbalwe said mid last year, the council failed to quench the fire oat the market as the fire tender had to collect water from as far as Kasompe when there is a fire hydrant just within the market.
“We have a fire hydrant within the market but the fire officers could not locate it as one stand was constructed on top of it. Therefore, as council we are sternly warning those few culprits who were and are still inciting their fellow traders not to move that as they are jeopardising council’s operations.
“The council won’t relent to deal with such and will make sure that they are punished accordingly,” she said.
