(ZANIS)-The office of the Vice President through the Disaster Management Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has moved in to help traders that lost goods in the fire that swept through part of Chisokone market in Kitwe last week.
DMMU National Coordinator Gabriel Pollen in the company of Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo distributed food stuffs and a K5, 000 to each of the 125 affected traders to help them restart their businesses.
And Dr. Pollen said the support given to the traders is a demonstration of President Hakainde Hichilema’s love and care to the people of Copperbelt.
He noted that the President has always responded swiftly to all disasters that happen across the country.
And Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo has charged that he will not allow people to bring confusion in the province by causing fires in markets.
Mr. Matambo said the New Dawn government wants traders to run their businesses freely without harassment and confusion.
He has since directed the police to expedite the investigation into the cause of the fire.
“As a Minister, l am suspicious that the fire could have been planned because the first firefighting truck that came to quench the fire was stoned and the security camera that could have shown the police how the fire started was tempered, this means that the people that stoned the firefighting truck planned to burn the entire market, to those who think they will destabilize Copperbelt, we will meet them head-on,” He charged.
The Copperbelt Minister also disclosed that over 5 million Kwacha was lost in the Chisokone market inferno.
And Chisokone Market Curio section Chairperson Mutale Kapengwe thanked the government for the support.
Mr. Kapengwe however appealed to the government to give them a secure trading place and a better empowerment initiative to enable them get back on track.
Last week a fire swept through the Chisokone Market Curio section in which over K 5 Million worth of goods were lost.
