Fire Burns 3,000 Stands at Kapalala Market In Ndola

Remains of Kapalala Market in Ndola

By Paul Shalala in Ndola

Goods worth millions of Kwacha have been destroyed to ashes at Kapalala Market in Ndola after a fire swept through the market yeasterday, destroying over 3,000 stands.

The fire, which started around 01:30hrs, was only quenched around 06:00hrs.

Fire fighting crews from the Ndola City Council, Luanshya Municipal Council, Indeni Petroleum Refinery and the National Airports Corporation battled the inferno for several hours.

Ndola Chief Fire Officer Wellingtone Mulambo says it took long for the fire crews to quench the fire because the market had no access roads.

Mr Mulambo says fire fighters found it difficult to access some burnt areas because stands were burnt too close to each other and fire fighters had to destroy some of the stands to create roads for fire tenders to pass.

"We are on the scene within five minutes of a phone call. When we came here, almost all parts of the market were on fire. The challenge was that the market is made up of planks, cart boards and plastics.

There was so much wind blowing and stands are built too close to each other," said Mr Mulambo.
At around 05:00hrs this blogger arrived at the scene, marketeers were found wailing and watching helplessly as their goods went up in flames.

"Iam going to suffer. All my goods have been burnt and i do not know how i will find money to pay for the school fees for my children,"shouted Cecilia Chitafu as she cried.

Ndola Mayor Amon Chisenga, who was on site at the time, expressed regret over the fire incident.
He disclosed that from preliminary assesments, over 3,000 marketeers have lost their goods.

"How the fire started, we do not know because there are too many versions. So we are leaving everything in the hands of the Police to investigate and give us a report," said Mr Chisenga.

Meanwhile, Police have arrested a 30 year old resident of Kabushi who is suspected of being behind the fire.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga says the suspect has been charged with the offence of Criminal Recklessness and Negligence which is centrally to Section 237 (C) Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.

Copperbelt Police Chief Charity Katanga (left) with
Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda inspecting the
 damage caused by fire at Kapalala Market yesterday

Ms Katanga says the suspect, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, confessed how he lit a brazier which later exploded and spread the fire to other stands.

She has disclosed that the suspect took Police officers to the scene and demonstrated how the brazier he was using spread the fire.

"We have concluded without any reasonable doubt that the man we have arrested is the one behind the fire. He confessed having lit the brazier and even demonstrated how it exploded, spreading the fire all over," said Ms Katanga.

The unidentified man is currently in Police custody and is expected to appear in court today.

Ms Katanga says a further 12 people have been arrested for looting goods at the market.

She says the suspects were spotted stealing goods and transporting them to their homes.

Two marketeers are currently battling for their lives in hospitals following the fire.

A man, who Police have only identified as Francis, threw himself in the fire in a bid to commit suicide and suffered 100% burns.

And a woman who could not hold herself when she saw her stand go up in flames, collapsed and lost consciousness.

Kapalala Market is believed to be the largest market in Ndola.

At its peak,  about 6,000 trade at the market which is located in Masala area of Kabushi Constituency.

How The City Of Ndola Got Its Name

A view of the Ndola Central Business District

By Paul Shalala in Ndola

Ndola is the second largest city in Zambia.

It is a sprawling metropolis which hosts some of the country’s most important industries.

Indeni, Zambia’s only oil refinery and a number of cement plants are within Ndola.

The city is only second to Lusaka in terms of high-rise buildings.

It is NOT only a major transit hub on the Copperbelt, but also the administrative centre for the province.

Ndola is also a terminus for travelers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and for onward traffic to the southern part of the country.

In Ndola, residents fondly call themselves ba ZimaNdola.

JK, one of Zambia’s most celebrated musicians even sung in one of his songs describing how he grew up in the town and calling its residents ba ZimaNdola.

But what does the name Ndola mean?

“All I know about Ndola is that it’s a name. I came here over 10 years ago but I don’t know what it means,” said Chanda, a cleaner.

Part of Kafubu river in Ndola's Twapia area

Most residents do not know where the name Ndola comes from.

Others even create false stories about it.

“Ndola is a name of a woman who used to live here. I heard this story from a friend,” said John Chileshe, a minibus driver who operates on the Itawa route.

To get to the bottom of the origin of the name Ndola, we need to dig into history.

The Copperbelt Province, where Ndola is located,  was originally inhabited by the Lamba speaking people.

Where Ndola is located, the first inhabitants were the Lambas who were led by Senior Chief Chiwala the first who reigned in the 17^th century.

The traditional leader is believed to have migrated with his people from present day Tanzania and settled in the area where Rekays is.

Senior Chief Chiwala

According to the current Senior Chief Chiwala, who is the eighth person to hold the throne, Ndola was named after a stream called Ka Ndola which originally starts from the Kaloko Hills and flows through present day Mine Masala, Kabushi and drains its water into the Kafubu River.

The traditional leader says when his fore fathers were alive, the stream was a life line for the people and it was a revenue earner.

But a check at the site has reveled that houses have been built across the stream, gardens have been set up and the stream has almost disappeared.

“It is a pity that this stream has dried up due to human habitation. When our ancestors first settled here, the Ka Ndola stream provided them with fish and animals which feed in water,” said Senior Chief Chiwala as he took this blogger on a tour of the former stream.

Only a few portions of the Ka Ndola stream have remained.

Children find pleasure in the little flowing water remaining and they also catch crabs which they take home to eat.

“We usually catch these crabs and take them home for food. They are nutritious,” said Mulenga, an 11 year old boy from Kabushi who was found swinning.

Meanwhile, Senior Chief Chiwala says a number of residential areas such as Itawa, Kansenshi and Minsundu have historical significance to Lamba culture.

A street in Ndola a hundred years ago

“What you call Kanshenshi today comes from a Lamba word called akansenji which means beavers. We used to have beavers along the Ka Ndola stream. The residential area Itawa comes from the word Itabwa, that’s the name for us the Lambas under Senior Chief Chiwala.”

The traditional leader went on to reveal several other unknown stories about other aspects of Ndola city.

But as the Ka Ndola stream keeps disappearing due to increase in population and human habitation, authorities need to quickly protect it and help preserve the city’s history.

The stream (or the few portions remaining) deserves to be declared a national heritage site as it holds the history of Zambia’s second largest city. 

Chinese Firm Building K150M Dola Hill Mini City In Ndola

 By Paul Shalala in Ndola

President Lungu (middle) at the event

A Chinese firm is investing K150 million in a mini city project in Zambia’s mining town of Ndola.

Mei Mei Limited is constructing the Dola Hill Mini City which will have over 70 houses, warehouses, an amusement park, a five star hotel, a shopping mall and wholesales.

The Chinese company has so far constructed what they call whole city which opened to the public on Wednesday.

“During the construction stage of the Dola Hill Mini City project, 500 direct jobs will be created and 300 more will be created indirectly,” said Jacky Gao, Mei Mei Limited Executive Chairman.

The company entered the Zambian market  in 2007 through quarrying and so far it has expanded to Solwezi, Lusaka, Ndola and other small towns.

In all its operations, Mei Mei Limited has employed 1,000 Zambians on a permanent basis since 2007.

On Wednesday, President Edgar Lungu broke the ground for the project.
The Zambian head of state called on foreign investors to pay local workers good wages.

“It is unfair for some investors to pay slave wages to their employees. This is not good. We want investors who just come and make profits here. Mei Mei Limited I hope you will take keen interest and pay the workers well,” said President Lungu.

He also said the project comes at a time when government is building the new Greenfields International Airport on the outskirts of Ndola.

The Dola Hill Mini City is a 10 year project which will constructed in different phases.

The project is located along the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway and next to the Levy Mwanawasa stadium, which was also constructed by the Chinese a few years ago as a gift to the Zambian people.