M’membe describes as ‘heartless’ act to demolish makeshift stalls at Munyaule market

Socialist Party president Dr, Fred M’membe, has described the decision by government to demolish makeshift stalls at Munyaule market as “barbaric” and “heartless”.

Lusaka City Council (LCC) had demolished makeshift stalls at Munyaule market, supposedly to enhance market infrastructure and avert outbreaks of various diseases in future.

In a Ministerial Statement to Parliament on March, 5, 2024, Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Gary Nkombo, said government would not compensate any of the marketeers whose makeshift stalls was demolished.

The Minister indicated that government would, however, find an alternative place to relocate the affected marketeers.

Speaking to Journalists in Lusaka after appearing in a court cases relating to espionage on Wednesday at the Margistrate Court, M’membe said government should have relocated the marketeers first before demolishing their makeshift stalls.

“These people have lost properties which they had in the stalls and this can only be described as barbaric and heartless,” the SP leader said.

He stated that good leaders should be able to feel the stress of their citizens and do not deprive them of their capital or their source of income.

“It’s heartless, these are people who simply do not care about others, they simply care about themselves, there are many ways to deal with such issues such as relocating them before destroying their stalls,” M’membe said.

He said justice without compassion was “barbaric” and that what government had done was insensitive.

M’membe noted that being a marketeer was not one of the most enjoyable preoccupation a person can do and that government had left them vulnerable to alot of things, including poverty.

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