Gutted COMESA market sad development

Dear Editor, BARELY a year after Zambia's biggest market, City Market was engulfed in flames, another one has just been gutted.

This time around it is COMESA market in Lusaka which was gutted. The market accommodated both local and foreign traders.

COMESA market went in flames last Thursday night and the inferno went on even to the following day.

The fire brigade trucks had a hard time trying to quench the fire which destroyed goods worth millions of Kwacha.

On the same day another market, Buteko, in Mufulira was also gutted, resulting in loss of goods and properties worth millions of Kwacha.

The infernos which affected the two markets, I strongly suspect are an act of economic sabotage and they irked President Edgar Lungu and the rest of Zambians.

This is because they brought so much suffering to those in the informal sector as they depended for their livelihood on trading in the gutted markets.

Some of the affected traders borrowed money from banks and micro finance institutions and this money has to be paid back with interest.

However, I implore the relevant authorities to probe the cause of the infernos thoroughly.

If it is established that the arsonists are involved, these should be arrested and ultimately jailed. This would deter would-be offenders.