GOVERNMENT has finally closed Kalunga Steel Market in Lusaka which sits on a drainage on Lumumba road with immediate effect after the Capital City recorded 13 cases of Cholera.
Health Minister Elijah Muchima stated that the trading area has been closed in line with the Public Health Act to prevent a severe cholera outbreak.
Dr Muchima said other dangerous trading places have been considered too and some traders will be given other alternatives in terms of where to trade from in the wake of the Cholera outbreak. 
The minister urged all citizens to prioritise hygiene, disposing off of waste properly and adhere to health regulations to avoid another devastating cholera epidemic.
“This directive is with immediate effect and applies to all illegal trading areas especially those trading on top of a drainage system in Lusaka’s Central Business District.”
“Public health and safety is government’s priorities and our collective responsibility is to ensure that the environment is safe and clean always,” said Dr Muchima.
He was speaking during a joint media briefing with Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gary Nkombo yesterday.
Nkombo revealed that some traders will be accommodated at the new Simon Mwewa Lane Market which opens next month.
He shared that the traders will also be prioritised once the Munyaule modern market under construction is completed.
“Our city’s waste management system is under severe pressure which is exacerbated by so many unauthorised trading activities such as the Kalunga Steel. This is for the good of the country, it is right that we close some of these areas,” said Nkombo.
