Wed, 05 Jul 2017 11:45:09 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA & JUSTINA MULENGA
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu say the law will catch up with lawbreakers and urged Zambians to remain calm and patient as they await a full report by security services.
And acting President Inonge Wina has described the fire at Lusaka’s City Market an act of sabotage.
“We will show no mercy on perpetrators of these fires, the police is on the ground and once the culprits are found, they will be dealt with without any delay,” she said.
Mrs. Wina expressed disappointment when she visited the gutted Lusaka City Market, where thousands of goods have perished in the inferno.
She said the police would at all cost find the arsonists and that once those were found and punished, it would serve as a deterrent to those planning to engage in similar acts.
“The police will not rest until the culprits are brought to book. Thousands of people have not only lost property but also their livelihoods have been shattered. It is inhuman, for countrymen to treat each other in a manner like this,” she said.
President Lungu said the nation must remain calm and ensure that no retaliatory action is taken to worsen the situation.
The Head of State said those engaging in acts bordering on economic sabotage would surely be brought to justice.
“If the fire is an act of arson then those destroying public property are enemies of the people but for now security services have told me it is too early to reach any conclusions. They are now fighting the fire and I will wait to hear from them on arrival,” President Lungu said.
Speaking when she toured the scene of the fire at Lusaka’s largest market yesterday, Mrs Wina decried the loss and damage to property, saying those who think they could sow seeds of discontent in the country would be severely dealt with.
Mrs. Wina, who was accompanied by Minister of Justice Given Lubinda, Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Police Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja among others, said the Zambian people would reject the hunger for power of those who think they could ascend through acts of sabotage.
Meanwhile, PF secretary general Davies Mwila said the party was deeply saddened following the fire that gutted the market and some unconfirmed reports of fires within the city.
Mr Mwila has since called for calm from all that have been directly affected by the inferno whose source and origin are yet to be established including the members of the public as various national security wings were on the matter to establish what caused the fire which has consumed goods worth millions of Kwachas.
Mr Mwila said PF would not be distracted from its vision of meaningful development for all Zambians by a few sadistic elements that have nothing, but terror and division to offer to a peace loving and united Zambia.
The party has urged those that have lost property in the fires as well as members of the public to stay calm and avoid any unnecessary provocation.
“The news of the gutting of City Market has been received with great distress by the PF. The importance of the market can never be overstated as it serves many Zambians from all walks of life. We stand with the people that have lost property and hope that security agencies will act swiftly to investigate this matter.
“If it is sabotage, we demand for stiff sanctions and if it be an electric fault, still we ask for accountability from those tasked to manage the facility and let us all cooperate with the various national security wings that are currently working around the clock to find out the cause of the fire,” Mr Mwila said.
And police spokesperson Esther Katongo said investigations in the matter have since been instituted and are yet to establish the cause of the fire and quantify tee damage.
Ms Katongo said police were also investigating to what led the fire at Msisi charcoal market in Msisi compound which belonged to seven charcoal traders.
The Lusaka City Market fire is the latest in a spate of arson involving markets in the country. The long Heroes and Unity Day weekend has seen acts of sabotage including the tampering of Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) installations that led to power outages in the cities of Lusaka and Ndola.
