Be wary of false alarmists, traders urged

THE Association of Vendors and Marketeers (AVEMA) has cautioned members to be wary of “false alarmists.”

AVEMA president Abel Chikwa appealed to members to rely on information from the councils, Government and from the association itself.

On Friday, traders at Chisokone market in Kitwe staged a protest after word went round that the market had been sold to a private investor.

But Mr Chikwa said in an interview with the Daily Nation that the misinformation which caused commotion last week was mere politics.

He said Chisokone market or any other trading area was not an arena for politics but a place of trading and sustenance for players in the informal sector.

Mr Chikwa said AVEMA and all marketeers at Chisokone were working with the current government because President Edgar Lungu is a leader who has the heart for marketeers and the people plying their trade in the informal sector.

Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe had clarified at the weekend that the market was earmarked for an upgrade to be undertaken by the Chamber of Mines which would also put up modern infrastructure at Kapalala and Soweto markets in Ndola and Lusaka respectively.

He said the council would ensure that the interest of current traders was taken into consideration in giving out of stalls once the upgrade was done.