Several shops and stalls at Chilenje market in Lusaka have been burnt, with the fire suspected to have resulted from an electrical fault after power was restored.
According to the affected traders, the fire began when ZESCO restored power to the market following a load shedding outage.
Among the affected is the poultry section, resulting in the suffocation to death of several chickens.
Citizens have variously expressed their discontent with how negatively ZESCO’s power rationing continues to affect small businesses. Some have demanded that the power utility should take responsibility for the loss suffered by the traders and compensate them.
Zambia has for many years experienced its fair share of gutted markets across the country, especially in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.
