Tuesday 4 2017, the City Market in Lusaka, Zambia,was torched and engulfed in flames of fire by a still an unidentified group of people, however, some reports explain it as a suspected arson attack. Many city market traders lost their property during the tragedy, encountering millions of loses of merchandise.
Edgar Lungu, the President of Zambia who was out of the country at the time, on returning from the AU summit that was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said he would then take unprecedented measures and steps to see to it that the acts of hooliganism being perpetrated in the country stop.
“If it means taking measures which are unprecedented we will do just that. Some people will have to lose their rights,” President Lungu informed journalists while still at the airport.
“People who have lost their property have lost their livelihood. So, if I become a dictator for once, bear with me,” he added.
The President who in the company of security and defense officers, Minister of Home Affairs, Stephen Kampyongo, together with his presidential aides Amos Chanda and Kaiza Zulu drove from the country’s airport to Lusaka City Market to meet the affected and crying traders, and to see the extent of the damage as well.
At the market, President Lungu assured the City Market traders who lost their property, in an inferno that the government would look in to the situation and compensate their loss.
“We will see how we can look in to the plight of the people and compensate their loss,” said President Lungu addressing and comforting hundreds of traders at the market.
The President also urged the security offices to take necessary measures to curb the acts of hooliganism.
However, despite the unpleasant happening, President Edgar Lungu still urged the people of Zambia not to take the law in their hands.
He at this point too, assured the people that the government was at the top of it all.
As for the police in Zambia, it raised a reward of half a million (kwacha), to whoever will provide information about the actual people behind the scenario.
