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MARKETS AND LUSAKA CITY COUNCIL

The count down to elections in Zambia is on. As we approach this period people are making more and more threats to stay away from the polls. Marketeers at Soweto market have threatened to boycott elections should they be moved from their market. The move is meant to let the council build a modern market at Soweto Market. Marketeers have been assured by the council that they will defiantly find space in the modern market when it is completed but the marketers have maintained that each time a new market is built the old owners of premises are thrown out and foreign investors are brought in.The problems going on at Soweto market however, are not the only disturbing factor surrounding traders in Lusaka, the coming of cross boarder traders is also going on unnoticed, the number of cross boarder traders in Lusaka is growing so much so that they are enjoying selling their goods by moving around offices and all around, most of the Lusaka based traders are complaining that the Comesa market was built to accommodate cross boarder traders yet this doesn’t seem to be the case. Mrs. Mwakajinga of Comesa Market says the Lusaka City council is very good at chasing Zambians selling on the street and yet it is failing to set the traders in the market, she said “How can the council be grabbing goods from Zambians when these traders come in and sell their goods as much as they like in the street without having to pay market levy like we do”.
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