20, 000 people to be affected by demolishing of Chisokone Market
Chisokone marketeers
20, 000 people will be affected by demolishing of Chisokone Market in Kitwe on the Copperbelt.
Chisokone is the biggest Market in Kitwe.
GBM
And UPND Vice president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) has issued the following press release in which he says the PF will punish Marketeers by demolishing Chisokone market:
The planned demolition of Chisokone market by Edgar Lungu to accommodate those who have money is a serious punishment on the poor Zambians who cannot afford to rent the modern malls.
It has become a habit for the Patriotic Front(PF) to punish the poor after using them in elections.
This tendency is not only evil but it a serious demonstration that PF does not care for the poor marketeers.
Edgar Lungu should not demolish Kitwe’s Chisokone Market because he will plunge the more than 20 000 traders and their families into abject poverty and hunger.
There is need to learn from Luburma market in Kamwala where the market was demolished in the name of improving infrastructure yet, the premises were later leased to foreigners leaving Zambians with no place of their own to conduct businesses.
Most of the traders today are suffering while some have relocated because they cannot afford to pay rentals to the new owners.
“Information reaching us is that Chisokone market will be demolished and no trader will be compensated yet it will take three years to develop the new market. Edgar should immediately stop it.”
As UPND, we challenge Edgar Lungu and his government to compensate the traders before taking such a step.
PF should provide marketeers a habitable and accessible temporal place with their consent to trade so that they survive during the three year period the market will be under construction.
It is important that PF shows the Zambians where they got the funds so that we avoid a situation where they use borrowed funds and later lease the market to private owners who will in turn charge high rentals to traders.
We also suggest that a proper Environmental Impact Assessment be undertaken and all the traders should sign a contract with government to assure them that they will get back to the market immediately after it is developed.
We cannot have a situation where every-time government comes with infrastructure development, ownership is taken from the public to private hands.
“It is unacceptable because it is making our citizens more poorer while those involved in the same deals get more richer.”
We know PF leaders very well when it comes to corruption, Chisokone market will no longer be a public property but will be in private hands should we allow them to do whatever they want.
We warn the PF not to take people for granted but learn to engage traders on the project, the same way they do during elections when they ask for votes.
Traders depend on the market to survive and so a caring government has all projects done in the interest of the public .
Only someone insane can ignore the fact that Chisokone market is a must- go- to- place where more than 20 000 traders go to sell, while others go to buy.
Lungu and the PF should realise that traders, including residents, transporters, wheelbarrow pushers, landlords hold the market so dearly as they depend on it for their basic needs.
The UPND will not allow the Patriotic Front to go ahead with the planned demolition without engaging and consulting the traders and other interested parties.
Issued by
Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (Dr)
UPND VICE PRESIDENT