WE SHALL NOT COMPESATE MUNYAULE MARKET TRADERS

WE SHALL NOT COMPESATE MUNYAULE MARKET TRADERS

Government says the 900 traders at Munyaule Market whose goods were destroyed after the Lusaka City Council demolished their makeshift structures will not be compensated.

Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Gary Nkombo has also dismissed assertions that the Council did not notify traders before demolishing the Market.

Mr. Nkombo says the traders were notified of the demolition through notices instructing them to relocate to other premises that the Council had organized for them as the contractor was ready to commence construction work on the site.

He says the latest notice was issued on 17th January, 2024 notifying the traders of the need to relocate to designated places by 29th February, 2024, but that they decided to be defiant.

Speaking at a media briefing, Mr Nkombo says despite the Council’s clear instructions, the traders did not vacate the area which violated the urban and regional planning Act number three of 2015.

The Minister says the move to relocate the traders from Munyaule Market to pave way for the construction of a modern market is aimed at enhancing the markets infrastructure and create a more conducive trading environment for traders and shoppers alike.

Mr Nkombo states that this project was initiated by the former PF regime which the UPND government wants to carry forward given the need to provide safe and clean environment for the traders.

And the Minister has revealed that of the 900 affected traders, two hundred traders have been allocated trading spaces at the Simon Mwewa Lane Market while the remaining 700 hundred traders will be taken elsewhere.
(Q-FM)