The PF government demolition of people’s houses currently going on in Kitwe and some parts of the country must immediately be halted and find a more civilised and humane way of doing it.
While we do not condone illegal occupation of people’s properties, we feel there must be a more humane way of resettling people that have built on such plots.
Going around midnight and waking up families with children and start razing their houses leaving them in cold is really cruel no matter the circumstances.
As UPND, we are also wondering why government allowed the so-called illegal settlers to build houses up to completion level, only to realise at midnight that the structures were illegal and must be razed.
[pullquote]Going around midnight and waking up families with children and start razing their houses leaving them in cold is really cruel no matter the circumstances.[/pullquote]
Where was the so called working and caring PF government when people were allowed to spend a lot of their hard earned income to build those houses, only to demolish them at completion at night?
It shows a clear lack of plan and care for the people on the part of the PF government to fail to amicably settle its people in a more civilised manner.
Our appeal to the PF government is to immediately halt the painful exercise, engage the affected families in a more civilised manner, and resettle them properly than leaving them in the cold, especially during this winter season.
We also appeal to the PF government to address the corruption in Local Authorities regarding allocation of plots.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
Thank you HH for speaking out on behalf of the poor. The guys pretending to be governing us are so cruel. I saw a clip of this demolishing exercise on TV, it was probably the saddest thing I saw. Mothers with babies on there back were being evicted at midnight and a bulldozer was tearing the houses apart. Why did they have to wait for June and until the structures were complete?
This chap surprises me with his hollow and warped thinking
He can best be described as a political pervert
Who HH or Obatala or both?
if you know you didnt get your plot using the laid down procedures just know govt ll visit you regardless of whether you have built an upstairs mansion or one room,we all want to build but we dont act like we are in the village where people give themselves land
Copperbelt residents hate HH anyway. They will just turn round and tell him to shut up as they love the ruling part come what may.
Coming to the Council, they are very efficient when it comes to destruction and causing misery. They were watching those people build so that they spend all they have and then swiftly move in to destroy the structures. I can imagine the trauma those families are going thru.
Please do not encourage illegality. If people settled on land illegally, there is only wat of sorting that out: Pull the structure down; full stop. Why should people have been allocated land be made to suffer?
In as much as I sympathise with families that are now homeless, it must be pointed out that extra effort was made by the council to warn the illegal squatters to vacate the land. In fact adverts have been running on Radio Chengelo for months warning them that the illegal structures would be razed but they ignored.What would Mr Hichilema do if hundreds of people invaded his land and put up structures without his consent. Iam sure that he will not pretend that he would urge them on!
This is what happens when you wait for break point before implementing by-laws. Why do we have such useless execution plans?? I don’t understand. Meantime, this useless opposition statement is just gaining mileage without even exploring what led up to this. If you have been warned consistently and given time there is no better time to swing into action. Matter of fact they are lucky I can see their household items separate from the wrecked shacks. There is no humane way of dealing with illegality! Iwe!
Sir you do not allow an illegality blossom to the fullest before you correct it. That is being inhumane and illogical at the same time. If gaining political mileage tickles you wrongly then stop providing the platform. People who are occupying land illegally should be stopped immediately before they even draw a line on the ground. Arrest all those allocating plots illegally and blacklist anyone who obtains a plot illegally. That way you are going to stop traumatising innocent children unnecessarily. Please stop encouraging Police brutality. It is a recipe for anarchy. The Police should have modern ways of doing police work. They dont need the archaic ways of Welensiky to enforce the Law. What we have in Zambia is by and large Police brutality and not law enforcement.
@mamen, what you are alluding to is exactly my point. We have, in Zambia today, a situation where both the culprit and the victim are liable! There is so much trading of cruelty on both sides that you no longer see the fool for the dust. Sloppy implementation of laws plus gullibility of squatters is a potent mix that politicians are and have been taking advantage of over the decades. It is 50 years of independence for crying out loud! If even the citizenry cannot show responsibility we are degenerating! Akwa!
@ Uwauma na fyala I meant to say. “People people WHO have been LEGALLY allocated land be made to suffer?”
HH, please do not support illegality for the sake of popularity. Those guys built illegally and their structures must be brought down. This will also send strong messege to land grabbers whom HH is supporting by issuing such statements. Can HH’s adviser please do a better job than this crap? We want sanity not Politics always. Because of such mentality we have Chibolya, Misisi and other Shanties right in the heart of town!
@ Mike, your level of literacy is questionable, read the statement from HH and understand. At no point does HH support illegality
BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHERS FLOCK TOGETHER. HH IS BLINDLY SUPPORTING ILLEGAL SETTLERS FOR FUULISH POLITICAL GAIN. BESIDES HIS MONEY IS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE. SO, NO WONDER HE HAS A TENDENCY OF SUPPORTING ILLEGAL ACQUISITION OF ANYTHING. TIME AND AND TIME AGAIN PEOPLE IN ZAMBIA HAVE BEE WARNED AGAINST ILLEGAL LAND ACQUISITION. THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO FOLLOW NORMAL ESTABLISHED CHANNELS BUT THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO BRIBE AND BE BRIBED. PLEASE, DON’T WASTE PEOPLES’ TIME ON THIS ISSUE. RAZING/DEMOLITION OF ILLEGAL STRUCTURES MUST CONTINUE. WE NEED SANITY IN ZAMBIA LIKE IT IS IN BOTSWANA AND NAMIBIA. PEOPLE MUST OBEY THE LAWS OF ZAMBIA OR ELSE HAVE YOUR HOUSE BULLDOZED. FULL STOP.
Dear Mr Hakainde, I am disappointed with your statement. I believe that as leader of the opposition, you should be promoting legality and offering constructive criticism. Sir, rushing to issue statements without understanding the context is one sure way of demonstrating a lack of clarity of thought (in my opinion). Can I humbly ask you sir what you would do if someone started a settlement on one of your farms? Sorry maybe that is too personal. Ok, let us assume that you were elected president of Zambia, what would your government do if people started building illegal structures on islands on Independence Avenue or privately owned land? Kindly let all land owners in Zambia know your party’s policy. How can you plan a city if people are free to build on any empty piece of land?
Surely you cant see constructive criticism in this statement? You hate HH therefore whatever he is going to say is illogical to you. Even if by any mistaken chance he repeated Sata’s words he is still going to be illogical. This is what HH has said “While we do not condone illegal occupation of people’s properties, we feel there must be a more humane way of resettling people that have built on such plots.” He continues “Where was the so called working and caring PF government when people were allowed to spend a lot of their hard earned income to build those houses, only to demolish them at completion at night?” This to me means “You should have stopped them before they completed building” Surely is this not constructive? get a life Bwana. Dont just hate someone for nothing!
@mamen – point noted. Now what is your suggestion? Is it humane to let them be and then pay feasibility to redesign the areas that have been occupied? You are the same people who will cry foul about sums of money going to feasibility and town rezoning! What about who allowed them in the first place? MMD? UNIP? So can we bring them in to compensate them? What would you suggest? The word humane is a fully loaded term. It is not just KINDNESS.
Will HH allow them to build on his farm!!
No, and there shall be no demolitions. Message from HH is simple and straight forward…
yaa! Zambians..no wonder this country will have problems to develop. what is it that HH has done mwe bantu sure.we re in trouble at the rate we are moving..i think our neighbors will be laughing at us, ati look at them, they must be ashamed of themselves busy bickerling while we develop.
where do u see lawlessness like in plot allocation and building. a message must be sent
H H sir; as much as I support you on many issues, on this one I appreciate the stance they took to demolish those houses; these people were told and warned that they were building on illegal land but as is the new trend in Zambia now, they chose to disregarde the law;
BA SATA BACITA BWINO PAKUTOBA AMAYANDA ELYO BATOBELEPO NAYAMBI PAKUTI MUSHINIKISHE.TWALE MWEBA ATI SATA TETI ATEKE IMWE MWEBENA KITWE MWALELANDA ATI AWE ALI BWINO.MWA MONA NOMBA?SATA,TOBA NAYAMBI AMAYANDA!!!!!!
Another rushed comment from HH, without even thinking about the repercussions of supporting people breaking the law by building illegal structures. Lawlessness should not be cordoned, land grabbing breeds anarchy in the country, we do not what a Zimbabwe situation just for a few votes when the country is burning!
This issue has exposed HH ‘s inexperience in politics, councils have delegated power to enact by-laws which every resident and business in the city has to obey. Sata’s opinion about street vending has no bearing on any council, they can ban street vendors anytime they like. HH should be congratulating the council for upholding the law and safeguarding other peoples property, has he forgotten the Lusaka west problem for which he was blaming the govt for doing nothing? shame!