The M’Zee Laurent-Désiré Kabila market case has seen a new development. After the postponement of the launch of works initially scheduled for August 20, the Lubumbashi City Hall has just set a new deadline for the vacation of the site.
In its official communiqué No. 047/BUR-MAIRE/VILLE/L’SHI/2026 of September 28, 2026, the acting mayor of Lubumbashi, Joyce Tunda Kazadi, asks the traders to leave the market no later than October 1, 2026.
Four relocation markets
To support this operation, the City Hall has designated four markets to temporarily host the traders concerned. These are the Marché du Peuple, the Marché des Plaines, the Marché Kaseba and the Marché Kamalondo.
To prepare for their reception, more than 1,633 stalls have been erected in various markets in the city of Lubumbashi. The interim governor of Haut-Katanga, Martin Kazembe, accompanied by several services, carried out a visit to these trading sites to verify the reception conditions for the vendors.
This relocation is intended to free up the current site for the start of the modernization works. The case had sparked protests from several vendors, who notably feared a dispersal of their clientele and a drop in their income.
A priority for registered vendors
The City Hall specifies, however, that traders already identified and registered will be given priority when allocating spaces in the future modern market, once the works are completed.
This provision is one of the important elements of the new phase of the project, while thousands of vendors are affected by the vacation of the site.
The new timetable announced by the City Hall thus relaunches the modernization process of the M’Zee Laurent-Désiré Kabila market. It remains to be seen under what conditions the traders will be moved to the four relocation markets designated by the municipal authorities.
Héritier Maila
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