MUNYAULE MARKET DEMOLISHED

HUNDREDS of traders at the famous Munyaule Market in Lusaka, yesterday woke up to a rude shock after hundreds of their shops were demolished despite the traders having obtained a court order against the Lusaka City Council from effecting their plans.

The council had offered trading shops to marketeers way back in 2003 and the market had been growing since but on Saturday night, the council moved to demolish the shops to the shock of the shop owners most of were unprepared for the damage.

But the council says the reason for the demolition and clearing of the Munyaule market behind Lusaka City Market was to build a modern market for the traders.

LCC public relations officer, Chola Mwamba said the demolition was in conformity with the Urban and Regional Planning act that provides for proper settlement.

“The demolition that we conducted in the early hours of this morning at Munyaule market of makeshift structures is in conformity with the urban and regional planning act that provides for proper settlement,” Ms Mwamba said.

However, with arms akimbo, tears rolling down their cheeks the traders affected denounced the UPND government, charactering the regime as heartless, uncaring and insensitive to the plight of the poor whose survival under the hard economic conditions depended on their daily trading.

Mr Maambo Haamaundu, the Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary when contacted said he was unaware of the council action demolishing the market. Mr Haamaundu said he had not been briefed about the demolition before referring the query to the council.

The demolition of the shops however follows a warning by the council to the traders, who had sought a court order to stop this action, restraining the municipality from carrying out the demolition.

In an interview with Millennium TV crew, some traders complained they were shocked to find their shops razed without being given a chance to remove the goods and finding alternative trading spaces.

“There are no words to what we are seeing and experiencing. We are under a government that is so cruel, uncaring and insensitive to the suffering of its citizens. Without warning us, and as it has been their tradition, the Lusaka City Council moved in the middle of the night and razed our shops to the grounds with our merchandise in.

We have lost all our goods and as you can see, we are now scavenging hoping that we can recover whatever could be salvaged,” Grace Bwalya, one of the traders lamented.