COMESA traders move to City Market
OVER 1,500 COMESA market fire victims will be accommodated at Lusaka City Market, manager Mwenya Matafwali has said.
Mr Matafwali denied that City Market was full.
He said that was why government has directed that COMESA traders should be moved to City Market.
He told the Daily Nation that City Market was nearly empty as most traders left, claiming that there was no businesses inside the premises.
Mr Matafwali said bringing in COMESA traders to City Market would boost business and described the move as a win-win situation.
And a snap check by the Daily Nation revealed that City Market was almost empty.
And New Congress Party president Peter Chanda who visited the gutted COMESA market, City Market and the Lumumba Salaula trading market, said that traders should not be misled by politicians who wanted to gain political mileage.
Mr Chanda urged traders to adhere to Government’s directive to move to an alternative trading area so that they could continue with their business.
“We know marketeers depend on trading and it is important that we all adhere to the gesture granted by the government,
“I am speaking from the background as a former trader and I know what it means to be trader,” he said.
He urged politicians to be factual when trying to criticize the government, adding that the situation on ground was totally different.
It was sad that people were still peddling lies to mislead the nation and incite traders to defy the law when City and Lumumba Salaula markets were almost empty.
And Mr Chanda congratulated Ms Chileshe Kapwepwe for her appointment as the new and first female secretary general for COMESA.
He said her appointment had come at a right time when Zambia dearly needed her to advocate for the construction of a new modern market at COMESA.
And COMESA Traders Trust board secretary Francis Matadi said the traders had not refused to move to City Market as directed by the government to pave way for the construction of a modern market at COMESA.