Local Government and Housing Minister Sylvia Masebo has issued a 24 hour ultimatum to Marketeers trading at Potters Cooperative Market in Livingstone’s Nottie Broadie area to vacate.
Ms Masebo said the marketeers need to vacate the premises within 24 hours or face the wrath of the police.
Ms Masebo who was accompanied by Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe was speaking in Livingstone on Tuesday when she made an on the spot check at the area that marketeers have illegally turned into a market in Nottie Broadie.
She maintained that the place where the marketeers were trading from was not a market and that it could not be turned into a market because it was earmarked for something else according to the council Livingstone City Council development plan.
Ms Masebo noted that there was no way marketeers could wake up and decide to allocate a trading place to themselves without the approval of her ministry.
She said if everybody was allowed to turn any place into whatever suited them, that would bring chaos in the country hence the need to follow the laws.
She told the Vice-Chairman at Potters market Samuel Mwaba that he should correctly advise his people to move or they risked loosing their merchandise when the police move in.
Ms Masebo assured the marketeers that she would give the Livingstone City Council extra resources to ensure that Libuyu Tandabale market that has been designated as a new trading site is turned into a habitable place.
” I will give the Livingstone City Council extra resources to turn that market into a habitable place. What is important is that I want laws to be followed. If you say that where the market is there are not toilets, I will give you money.
”Im not for cheap voting now. You will not do anything at will because you are voters. If we dont respect the laws we make, there will be no order in the country,” she said.
Earlier, Potters’s market vice-chairperson Samuel Mwaba pleaded with the Minister to rescind her decision because the bridge in Libuyu was impassable during the rainy season.
He also noted that the marketeers paid K50 million to the owner of the land that they have turned into a market.
Mr Mwaba maintained that the area in Libuyu was not suitable for trading adding that it was also too small to accommodate all marketeers.
But Libuyu Tandabale Market chairman Joseph Kanyanga said the market was not too small and accused the marketeers who have insisted on trading at Potters market of being against the government.
Mr Kanyanga charged that the people who had refused to move to the new Tandabale market were bent on bringing confusion.
The Marketeers were early this year moved from Maramba’s Tandabale market to pave way for the construction of over 60 housing units for police officers.
They were later allocated a new market in Libuyu since the land they were occupying in Libuyu belonged to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
ZANIS/FM/ENDS/MM
Where are the law enforcers ? why should it be the minister to start all the time ?
Thought such statements should be coming from the commanding officer of the town not the minister. How fickle! Why should it take the minister to issue such a statement and say they will face the wrath of the police?
While it is teh duty of the Police to evict these illegal traders, Sylvia Masebo has all the right to make such a statement as issues dealing with marketeers (legal or illegal) nationwide falls under her Ministry. This is not say people should sit back and wait until the Minister says something in order to act.
Another thing is the issue of marketeers is also political because there have been times the Police have wanted to do the right thing, eg in Kitwe and Lusaka some years back BUT those people were given the go-ahead by MMD party officials and elected officials…
‘”Im not for cheap voting now. You will not do anything at will because you are voters. If we dont respect the laws we make, there will be no order in the country,” she said.’
Interesting reading. I am happy that we are slowly getting the truth from our politicians. So, it appears that there are times for CHEAP VOTING doing and times for enforcing the law because there are no elections around the corner.
People need to be told the truth and not politicking for votes at any one given instance, please politicians.
Bakwetu,how are the enterprising marketeers going to make a living if they are continually harassed by well-meaning but misguided politicians?
This lady Masebo has a nice behind. I can enjoy her very much.
Ya true #6 the behind is good. some eats there. chimanivesa nyele chi masebo when i see the behind.
This is not zimbambwe where you can just instruct peple to move within twenty four hours without looking into their welfare.The lady needs to understand and address the reason why they havent moved up to now before issuing threats,i dont think she can do that in her own constituency.
Madam Masebo is now the Council Police Commanding Officer in Livingstone. This is the problem when someone is just hand-picked. This is abuse of power; it shouldn’t be the Minister to orders to people at that level. This means the Town Clerk or Council Secretaries are no longer useful. If she can run the markets around the country then she is better off leaving the Ministerial portfolio and become a kaponya she has always been. Anyway, Chiluba did the same, thinking that he would easily change things. Instead, he left chaos!! and that is what Masebo is trying to do. Please bamayo, ipusheni abanenu bu leadership
#6..u r a fool thats y u die prematurely, chikomekome cha nkuyu….u r off the topic. sit in cold water ngati wanvela kuipa
#9 has she been a kaponya, fill us in, interetsed 2 know pipo’s pasts. no wonder she overdoes things
I like her work ethic, very habds-on.These are ministers we need in Zambia.Always very imformed coz she is hands-on.
But whats is Sakwiba Sikota doing? Those are his people, if he cant maintain order in his constituence how can he surely do so at a national level.
Please do blame or reduce Masebo to a Kaponya, she cannot just afford to let things go to the dogs because of some lazy bastards running the councils
It shouldnt take a minister to warn marketeers. There are people who are paid to do that job, therefore she should be delegeting. Is she going to manage going round zambia warning street vendors.
People break laws by setting up tu tembas or trade from any where they feel like in the name of democracy. Even democracy has got rules. Because people want to do things as they please has resulted in Zambia being the dirtiest country in Southern Africa and one of the dirtiest counties in the world. People must learn to conduct there busisnesses in an orderly mana.
Just what do you want some of you eh? A leader sits idle in the office, you say he/she is not in touch with the people. Ms Masebo goes out to where the problem is, you say that work is for so and so. Just what do you appreciate # 9.?
The marketeers paid K50million already to the owner of the land in question so what other development is Masebo talking about earmarked by the council? If it was someone’s land already, then clearly the council has nothing to do with it. They must just be thankful that the marketeers united (and rumour has it HH also put in something) and purchased the land instead of getting violent or unruly.
#11. Kanshi uli wa fake. Kuti waikala shani mu menshi when masebo is there.
Number 16. surely there are things that are better left to the people directly in charge. In this case, Masebo should have dealt with George Kalenga (The TC) and given him strict instructions to do what she did if she felt he had not done enough as yet. If her idea is to show how hands-on she can be, she is not being a good leader because then she is not letting her subordinates do the work and I’m sure it pisses them off whenshe does such stints such that the moment she leaves, they just ignore issues cuz they know she will come around and be ‘hands-on’ again
Masebo takanya, give those people time to at least think of plan b, give em a week or something, iwe ngabakutanfw…. can you make it in 24 hours to relocate?
#16 is very right. You Zambians who just talk. Masebo is very right. If she followed the protocol, it was going to take years because the council should first hold meetings, call ZNBC to show pictures etc. That can’t work in zambia. We need people like masebo or the way sata used to work. If he tells you I need to find new blankets in a ward, he put a time frame maybe in 2 days and he will go and check if blankets are there. We don’t want statements like what the VP has said today the “Plans are under way ….”. This statement has no meaning.
Masebo give them the toilets first at the new site. Ba ku lanyela pamutwe wobe mwa
First, they are not Sakwiba Sikota’s people! THe man has never been seen in Lone since he won the bogus election, he has even abandoned his guest house near Hillcrest Secondary School!!!
Second, No.6 & 7, please this is not a porn site – We are discussing important national issues here, not your erections!
Third and last, the site these mongrels decided to settle on has no toilet facilities, no water, no electricity! Who do they expect to put up these facilities for them if the Local Government is not ready to do so and who will approve the plan if the council is against the idea. Sometimes we should stop thinking with our ass. I’m told some crooked Bemba man is behind the entire hoax!
ninshi ni mama waluse, apelapela fye ai ba #18,ku sidney kulibe mpopo zama mbuyo????
When is this Country ever going to improve if we keep blaming whatever is done in good faith. We need people that are action oriented. If the Police are failing to do their job fire them. Let us develop our country. No one will do it for us. Lets be objective in our writings and no insults please.
Masebo can you plan for population growths, instead of just making points harassing and evicting traders when overcrowded marketeres take incentives to over crowding and find alternative positions. Same situation all over the country. They do not take into account population growth
”I will make alternative market, i will give mane for expansion
fyonyoo fyonyoo fyonyoo fyonyoo…”
You should be planning for the future instead of acting like an enforcer of stagnant polices..
#22, Mwipukishe we!! Nakalimo Alikwato icimbusu pamutwe. How can u have a market with no toilets. Ata bane!
The truth of the matter is that the Marketeers have better brains than the entire Livingstone City Council. Libuyu site is far from being ideal and is very close if not encroached in a Basic School ground. The Maramba River Bridge has outlived it’s usefulness and is a death trap once those heavy trucks start using it. The current site has the interests of the current Mayor Grace Shafik(always in a veil). Besides the matter is in Court and Masebo has been cited for contempt. What I would advise the Council is to accept defeat and sit down with the Marketeers and map the way forward. That land belongs to the Marketeers so whose Masebo trying to fool.
But where was Livinstone councils all this time when the marketeers were building in an illegal place. I suppose some ward chairman or RDC chairman was more in charge than the council
Markets are such political institutions at some point they were eveb run by political parties, it is like illegale settlements, PF now run the council in Lusaka and they have done nothing to curtail this scourge of mashrooming compounds all because they are treading carefully for political reasons, that is the nakend truth for all political parties. If it was not for politics Msisi compound would not have been built under High Voltage power lines with such potentia disaster which one can only imagine. You remember at some point some President legalised street vending effectively rendering the council ineffective, it is the same thing with the Livingstone situation. Politicised councils.
Thanks to our last pres,Ndola is now a market,Lusaka the same applies.
No. 21, what Rupiah B meant was that plans were in his underwear! Hahaaa! Imagine how they smell!! mhuuuu!
Mwiinga (30) mwanaabaama, The Livingstone council is very effective and had it not been for Bemba here, there would be no street vendors and street kids in Livingstone! They all speak the same language – Bemba!… and the man bringing confusion at the controvertial market is Bemba!!
Leave our City Council alone- they are not in the mood for a fight.
Th problem is that we talk too much and no action. When you follow the law you are called names. Let us be realistic in our contributions on this subject. We are not too far from the 2010 wc and yet our country looks like is recovering from war. Shame on us. No wonder if one INVITED US TO GO TO THE MOON TO VEND we could go there as soon as the invitation is received.
#32,jst coz they use bemba doesn’t make them bemba. The are zero to none street kids in L/stone but if you said “street adults”, I’d definately agree.Masebo is only trying to do her job people, give her the space she needs.But here’s is one thing, for how long have the marketeers been in Nottie Broodie?
#6 If you want some come en get some!!!!!!!!
you guys are taking things alil off,Lol. The problem I have seen with our lady there, is misdirection. she does’nt focus on what she has put in place,this moment we are taking smoke ban when there no designated smoke areas marked and the impact of scrapping Tobacco off as a cash crop has not been looked in to… she needs to look at both sides of the coin before she speaks or does any thing,copy cut traits do not work.
Masebo is doing a great job.if you’ve been to neighboring countries like Namibia or Botswana or in Europe you will be surprised how clean their cites are,but come to Zambia in kamwala area or city market very dirty.let those Chinese investors do some thing about in kamwala.government should also sort out the the marketeers problems dont just buy those luxury vehicles for ministries
Yeah yeah,same old populist rhetoric heh,
when are ministers going to rise above such petty antics,
a minister is a policey person,leave this to the councils please don’t cheapen yourself in such a cheap manner,
i know you wanna been seen to be tough and have a lasting legacy but there are smarter ways of achieve that,
leave such to Sata,this is deja vu for us remember Nkandu and the blue mini bus fiasco
zambia is really a circus
But gents and gentlemen, ladies and girls, men and women, Bamayo ba Masebo basuma icinecine, ine ndabakumbwa sana. If possible kuti twacita propose twaumfwako bwino mweeee. I know ifima thighs ni bomba. I see tabalaupwa kuti nacita propose tukese mukwikala bonse kuno States nkalelyamo bwino. Sorry, what is your advice?
Mama Masebo, I love you. Nkalyamo lisa. I am rich as well. Come to STates tukacilishe. i understand you are bo. YOu will enjoy me as well.