THE Kitwe City Council (KCC) has demolished houses constructed on illegally allocated plots and arrested 32 people involved in the activity in Kitwe’s Mindolo township.
In the early morning raid, a combined team of officers from the Zambia Police Service and KCC stormed Mindolo near the Chingola road cemetery and demolished several illegal structures before making the arrests.
A check by the Daily Mail crew found police officers patrolling the area while some of the illegal settlers tried to gather their household goods that were scattered.
Kitwe district police commanding officer Lizzie Machina, who was found at the scene, said the demolition exercise started around 03:00 hours and that 32 people had been arrested.
“We have been here since 03:00 hours with officers from Kitwe City Council. We were told some people have built houses on land which belongs to Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and we are here to enforce the law,” Ms Machina said.
She said some of the people that have been arrested were found demarcating plots to unsuspecting residents.
Ms Machina referred further queries to the Copperbelt Province commissioner of police Joyce Kasosa who could not be reached for comment by press time.
And council public relations officer Dona Mbalwe said some unscrupulous people had invaded council land and that of MCM, allocating themselves pieces of land where they had built houses.
Ms Mbalwe said the illegal structures have been demolished because they were erected without authority from the council.
“We are going to spend about K129,000 to completely demolish the illegal structures in Mindolo township.
“The officers will continue patrolling the area for two weeks to ensure that the illegal settlers do not re their structures,” she said.
The local authority on Monday notified the illegal settlers to vacate the land for the officers to carry out the demolition exercise.
One of the affected residents, Patrick Kombe, is disappointed that the KCC decided to demolish the houses while people were still sleeping.
Mr Kombe said the residents followed normal procedure when obtaining the plots and wondered why the local authority was in a hurry to demolish their houses.
“During the campaigns for the general elections in 2011, we were promised pieces of land here in Mindolo township.
“It is our councillor who was allocating us plots here in Mindolo and we do not understand why the council demolished our houses,” he charged.
Mr Kombe said the people in the area have been left homeless with some of the household goods destroyed during the demolition exercise.
LAWS MUST BE FOLLOWED IN ZAMBIAN. FOR A LONG TIME ZAMBIA HAS BEEN LAWLESS AND IT’S NOT GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY. PEOPLE MUST JUST RESPECT THE LAWS OF THE COUNTRY. THIS IS A DETERRENT TO WOULD BE LAW BREAKERS. NEXT SHOULD BE STREET VENDORS OF ALL MAJOR TOWNS THOUGH THE COUNCILS MUST CAREFULLY BUILD PROPER MARKETS BEFORE GETTING RID OF STREET VENDORS. MIND YOU HUGE GOVERNMENT REVENUE LAY HIDDEN IN STREET VENDORS, TOO.
Iwe Peter why do you write in capital letters. Do you think you are screaming or yelling. My friend change your behaviour. You need to remember what capitals are for in Grade 8 or 7 that is then try it again. You will feel ashamed. Anyway its not your first language same like me but I remember.
Uku kutumpa. This issue was settled in court and the community won this case and hence the legal allocation of plots. People including myself started buying these plots at prices ranging from K1 000 to K3000 notwithstanding others were initially given gratis. Now my question is ; where was the government and its law enforcement agents when all this was taking place, because all this has been going on from April this year? Infact even the Kitwe mayor and his juniors were allocated plots, remember at first attempt he was booed and chased from the area.
While I sypmathise with you bro, understand that property is paper. Get it right first time otherwise you lose.
GO TO COURT THEN WITH THOSE PAPERS IF YOU STILL HAVE THEN. WE ZAMBIAN CAN’T LEARN EVEN FROM THE NEAR BY ZIMBABWE. LAND OWNERSHIP IS IN THE POSSESSION OF TITLE DEEDS. WHICH YOU SHOULD KNOW BY THIS TIME UNLESS YOU CHOSE TO IGNORE THIS FACT LIKE MANY OTHER ZAMBIANS. AND I HAVE READ MORE THAN ENOUGH TALK BY THE GOVT URGING PEOPLE TO OBTAIN TITLE DEEDS. BUT, PEOPLE JUST CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE CALL. LESSON LEARNED ANYWAY
That does not make it right my friend.Do you have title?if not then you have no reason to complain.
Freedom without discipline is mere chaos. Who told you that the Councillor as an individual has the power to allocate plots? Do you know what is involved in establishing new residential plots? It is the coordinated duty of the council and not the Councillor to establish new plots, demarcate them, provide water and roads before allocating plots. Ignorance is no defense and all that it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to say nothing and do nothing. Wake up and do the right thing the very first time and you will spare yourself anguish arising form ignorance.
T E from ignorance.
THE NON READING CULTURE IN ZAMBIA ALSO CONTRIBUTES LARGELY TO IGNORANCE IN ZAMBIA.EVEN WHEN THE INFORMATION FOR ALL IS THERE PEOPLE JUST DON’T WANT TO READ. ANYTHING PRINTED MEANS PEOPLE HAVE TO READ IT. NO ONE CAN JUST WASTE RESOURCES TO PRINT SOMETHING JUST FOR IT TO BE BINNED. ZAMBIANS, WAKE UP AND OBEY THE LAWS OF THE COUNTRY.
Papers are there infact the chairman and his lieutenants and lawyers are meeting with the minister of justice today in Lusaka. So don’t give me rusty advice. Don’t pretend to be wise.
Papers are there infact the chairman and his lieutenants and lawyers are meeting with the minister of justice today in Lusaka. So don’t give me rusty advice. Don’t pretend to be wise. You may be knowledgeable but with little understanding.
The Council has vowed to continue to raze down all illegally built structures and must be supported, and all those with a lot of mistaken understanding will be ashamed. Papers, what papers that you cant mention by name?
BETWEEN MINDOLO MISESHI AND KITWE INDUSTRIAL AREA STRETCHING TO WHERE AFROPE IS, PLOTS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED THERE. I WONDER HOW WHEN THERE IS 66KV POWERLINE AND A RAIL LINE RUNNING PARALLEL.
IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THAT RAIL LINE MAY NEED EXTENTION, THAT POWER LINE IS BEING LEFT WITHOUT A WAYLEAVE.
THE POWERS THAT BE SEEM NOT TO HAVE A VISION