Cadres Have Taken Over Running Of Markets, We Can’t Claim Them Back, Minister Tells Parley

Minister of Local Government Charles Banda has admitted that government is having challenges to claim the running of markets and bus stations that have now been taken over by political party cadres.

Responding to Mufulira Central Member of Parliament Evans Chibanda who proposed in Parliament that government should lease markets and bus stations to private entities, Banda said the matter needed serious scrutiny because cadres have taken over the running of the two facilities.

He said the government was still looking for ways to bring in market and bus station boards to run the facilities.

Banda said the challenge of having political party cadres running markets and bus stations will need a lot of planning.

“There is a lot of planning that is required to go into this because we understand the problem of cadres has not started today; it is something that has been there for a long time and we have to approach it very cautiously if we are going to achieve what we want to achieve. What we want is in the end is to ensure that the boards are running these markets and bus stations as opposed to the situation now when it is the cadres who are in charge,” he said.

Banda said in sorting out the current challenge, the government should have in mind the reaction from political party cadres who have been “in charge” for a long time.