SANITY RESTORED AT LILANDA MARKET – SALUBUSA

THE confusion that had rocked Lusaka’s Lilanda Market has been brought under control because the current leadership of the market is doing its best to ensure that all marketeers participate in any market activities, Kapwepwe Ward 29 Councillor Patrick Salubusa has disclosed.

In an interview Mr. Salubusa admitted there was a misunderstanding between Lusaka City Council (LCC) and the cooperative market on who should be running the market but that this had been addressed.

He explained that the Council had maintained that in the running of any market, the Bus Station and Market Act should be applied and that the Act empowered the local authority to run markets and bus stations.

He said this came about because the market leadership was pushing to be the one running the Lilanda Market but that this was clarified as the two bodies were supposed to work together such that as the Council was running the facility, a committee comprising more than five members of the market would be put in place to offer checks and balances on how the Council operated.

He said to resolve the issue, those who were pushing to run the facility were requested to come forward and join the committee so that they could offer oversight to how the council operated.

“Quite alright we had that misunderstanding between Lusaka City Council and the market leadership but that has since been resolved. It is a well-known fact the responsibility to run any market is given to the local authority for guidelines and procedure.

“For now, there are no more disagreements or fights at Lilanda Market because the current leadership of the market is doing its best to make sure that all marketeers participate in any market activities,” Mr. Salubusa said.

And Mr Salubusa disclosed that his office was working together with LCC and the market leadership to introduce a waste separation point at Lilanda market aimed at separating the waste before being collected and taken to the dump site.

He said his office had joined hands with Border Zambia and Governance Foundation who were partners to ensure that the waste was separated as a way of keeping the market clean.

“And this is going to reduce the waste tonnage going to Chunga dumpsite and this is where we should be sensitizing people and making them understand the importance of separating waste at the source before being dumped,” he said.