Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo has described as suspicious the continued trend of markets being gutted by fire during the night, following the latest incident at Chiwempala Market in Chingola.
Speaking when he visited the gutted market, Mr. Matambo says it is unusual that fires at major trading centers such as Kapalala Market in Ndola and Chiwempala Market in Chingola both occurred at night, suggesting that some underhand activities could be involved.
He has since directed the police in the province to begin conducting periodic night inspections in markets to ensure that marketeers leave their stalls in a safe condition before closure.
Mr. Matambo also instructed the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in Chingola to speed up the registration of affected traders so that they can receive government assistance, similar to what was done for the Kapalala fire victims.
The minister says that traders continue to lose property worth thousands of kwacha in fire incidents that could be avoided with improved safety monitoring and awareness.
By Lovemore Sondashi
