LIVINGSTONE RESIDENTS PROTEST MODERN MARKET DELAYS
LIVINGSTONE residents are concerned over prolonged delays in the completion of the modern market and the international bus terminus in the tourist capital.
The modern market situated on the old Zimbabwe Market which was demolished to pave way for the construction of the new one, has stalled since 2015.
The residents some of who would-be beneficiaries of stores and stands at the modern market complained that the project risked collapsing before its completion due to delays.
They have appealed to the government through the Ministry of Local Government to consider sourcing for funds so that it can be completed.
Last year, Local Government Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga announced that the government was going to engage Zambia National Service (ZNS) to complete the projects through NAPSA sourced funding.
Following the agreements between the three parties, Ministry of Local Government, ZNS and NAPSA, ZNS commandant Lieutenant- General Nathan Mulenga embarked on a tour to visit the two projects.
During his tour, Lt-Gen Mulenga disclosed in Livingstone that ZNS was going to move in and complete the projects once the rain season was over.
He disclosed that it was going to take his team six months to have the modern market completed.
But since then, there were no signs of ZNS moving on site nor any announcement on when works would resume.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Nation in Livingstone on Wednesday, Livingstone City Council public relations manager Melvin Mukela said the local authority was still waiting for the ZNS team to get to the site.
Mr. Mukela said there hasn’t been any official communication as of now on when the ZNS team would move to Livingstone.
“As a local authority, we are still waiting to hear from the government. So far, there has not been any information which has reached us,” he said.
“There has been a number of visitations by different ministers including ZNS which has been tasked to complete the project.