Lusaka City Council (LCC) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Habeenzu Mulunda says his council has contracted a local company to rehabilitate the deplorable road linking the New Soweto Market to the City Market.
Mr. Mulunda revealed that named contractor will soon move to the site to do the project works.
The contractor has not been on site due to the onset of the rains resulting in the delay of the construction works, he said.
He said this in a telephone interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He further added that the firm engaged by the local authority to do the work is currently working on the Lusaka/Mumbwa dual carriage way.
Meanwhile, Mr. Habeenzu says the drainage system at the New Soweto Market is being addressed by the Millennium Challenge Account.
Mr. Habeenzu appealed to the Marketeers at New Soweto to exercise patience as his Council is working round the clock to repair the dilapidated road and drainage.
The LCC PRO was responding to alleged abandonment of marketeers from the New Soweto Market in preference to trading on the streets owing to the lack of a proper road and drainage system.
Marketeers claimed that the lack of a proper road network made the market to have no access to business because customers ended up purchasing goods and merchandise at the City Market.
The marketeers charged that the road was impassable and garbage accumulated posing a health hazard to them and suspecting customers which discouraged customers from reaching the market.