IN the course of lastweek, I took a trip to attend to a family matter.
On my way back to Lusaka, the bus I boarded developed a mechanical fault, this delayed my arrival to around 23:00 hours instead of reaching at 18:00 hours.
I must admit that for many years, I have not visited intercity bus terminus in the late hours but I was swept in shock by business activity that surround the station in late hours.
Intercity bus terminus has now become a trading business centre hosting various number of small businesses ranging from selling of groceries, cosmetics, foodstuffs to slippers, shoes, chitenge materials, restaurants, all under one roof.
The shops originally built for traders inside the bus terminus are not able to accommodate the mushrooming traders that have now occupied the inside area of the terminus.
International traders from as far as Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, among others, are seen at the terminus bringing in and taking out their merchandise.
I could not immediately take a taxi home because what I saw was very fascinating and I went around familiarizing myself with the trading activity.
Intercity terminus as some of you are aware, is an international terminus for buses coming from all parts of the country and host buses carrying human passages to various parts of the country and also is the terminus for buses coming from neighbouring countries like Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa to mention just but a few.
In this way, it is the busiest bus terminus in the country and as a result it hosts a large number of passengers other than any bus terminus in the country.
As I moved around, traders were far away from sleeping as they were busy selling their merchandise late in the night.
Determination by the traders to carry out their business overtures as late as that hour is what intrigued me especially that this was done to earn a living.
One young lady in her early 20’s approached me and asked me if I was not buying a chitenge material for my wife at home.
And when I asked if it was her business, she told me that she was only a worker and was in her night shift.
As this happens, traders that are tired and want to rest, they take a nap just close to their merchandise for fear of losing it.
My estimation of the people inside the station in that night was close to 1000.
When I interviewed a young man who was selling shoes and away from attracting any sleep, he told me that he comes from Chawama Township in Lusaka but trades at the station to earn a living.
I asked him if he ever goes home. He told me that he leaves with his parents but he just goes to Chawama once in a while because is home is the intercity bus terminus.
As I continued my familiarisation tour, I came across a group of young women trading in cosmetics and in the course of my interaction with one of them, she told me that she comes from Kamwala Township in Lusaka and that they work in shifts with other workers as their business operates 24 hours daily.
I realized that other entrepreneurs in the station were making good fortunes out of the products they were selling as evidenced from ashop which was selling various types of computers and cell phones and you could see that the stacks were worth thousands of Kwacha.
Intercity bus terminus is managed by the Lusaka City Council and what surprised me most is a huge placard warning that trading within the premises and idling were prohibited, much to the contrary of what is pertaining on the ground.
“My friend poverty is too much in this country, that is why people are leaving the comfort of their mattresses to come and sleep on the floor here in the terminus to make money,” one trader said.
“If government officials can come here during the night and see how people are suffering maybe they will do something,” he added.
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