Residents in Kitwe, who are beneficiaries of President Rupiah Banda’s directive to write off outstanding debt on their houses have described the president as a father of the nation who is ready to listen to the cries of the people.
Michael Chitundu of house number MN 97 Mukuba Natwange said by instructing the relevant authorities to write off all outstanding balances for 3,338 former parastatal houses that were sold to sitting tenants, Mr Banda had demonstrated that he had compassion for the Zambian people.
Mr Chitundu, who owed Mukuba Pension Fund some money to complete the purchase of his house, said he was overjoyed by President Banda’s directive and was convinced that his Government would continue to respond to people’s cries.
“I had paid some money towards the purchase of the house, but I had not completed the payment. I am now happy that the president has written off our debts.
“For me, I must say I am very thankful because this is a very good development. I feel this is the Government to have in power,” Mr Chitundu said.
President Banda on Saturday issued a directive that all outstanding balances on 3, 338 housing units on the Copperbelt be written off and sitting tenants given letters of sale immediately.
Mr Banda also directed boards of Zambia Forests and Forestry Industrial Corporation, National Pensions Scheme Authority, Development Bank of Zambia, and Mukuba Pension Fund to offer their housing units countrywide to sitting tenants for purchase.
The president instructed Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale to ask Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) to immediately write off the outstanding debts on housing units offered to sitting tenants in six towns on the Copperbelt.
The directive covers 1, 518 houses in Mufulira’s Kankoyo, Kantanshi and Mupambe townships and 1, 011 housing units in Luanshya.
Outstanding balances would be written off in Kitwe on 732 houses in Wusakile, Mindolo, Nkana East, Nkana West and Chamboli while 92 tenants in Kalulushi and Chambishi would benefit from the directive.
In Chililabombwe, outstanding debts on 31 housing units would be written off.
Charles Siyunda of House number MN 75 said although he had finished paying for his house, the directive was a good development and it showed that the MMD Government was there for the people.
Mr Siyunda urged opposition political parties not to politicise the directive as it was meant to benefit many people.
“This is a good development and this is what we call a listening Government. We just hope that the opposition will not politicise this issue.
“We are now urging you the media to follow up the issue and ensure that Mukuba Pension writes off the debts,” Mr Siyunda said.
Another resident, who only identified herself as Moddy, welcomed the directive, although she said it should have been made much earlier before some tenants committed themselves to loans while others sold their houses so that they could not lose out completely.
“But this is a wonderful idea, it is going to give relief to many people,” she said.
[Times of Zambia]
Do more desperado! Change is coming! Dont Kubeba!
Fo.o.l.i.s.h no comment
Imwe ba bootlicking spineless Uncle Toms in the Slimes of Zambia this is not being compassionate. Debt has to be paid otherwise it interferes with the economy. When a President buys votes he is not compassionate. He is selfish because he is only thinking of his stay in office regardless of what his action does to the nation. You cant be this shallow!! You tunnel visioned pretenders to journalism!
that’s why Zambia always goes back wards because they are used to be bribed and zambians don’t think of their growing childred as long as today ba bachekelako
so when these houses were sold by chiluba, didnt the MMD control the councils by then in the 90’s? for this man to come today and wake up to write off debt which kafupi created is not only senseless but cheap vote buying and its such mediocrity that must be stopped in the constitution. so who loses, govt or PF as you think it collects revenue for their party?its LG and chituwo
get what is given to u because its yours but this is a year for change..DONTCHI KUBEBA ati ni PF na SATA.
May I let the Bishop speak to you you Slimes of Zambia and Kanitundila:
In his homily during Palm Sunday celebrations at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Bishop Banda said the decision by the government to write off the balances was an election campaign gimmick for the ruling MMD.
Bishop Banda said the MMD was pleasing people in the run-up to the elections because it wanted to retain government power at all costs.
“They want to please people by giving them these housing units for free because they want votes but it is difficult to win back the minds of the people if they have already decided that they want change,”Bishop Banda said.
Listen and listen good all you who are bitter about our beloved President’s gesture. You should have listened to his full speech rather than just arm chair critisize him. The story goes like this. From inception, a point at which RB was not even there, these houses were offered to sitting tenants without government ever wanting to make profits from the sale. Ask former president Chiluba himself. He said it, that it was never government’s intentions to sale the houses for a profit. The reason being simple because he (Chiluba) felt that the councils had already made huge profits out of them and that is why the houses were told at give away prices. So again, what my president did yesterday was just to re-afirm a project started by Chiluba.
I hear people here crying that the move to write off the debts is just a political campaign. This really makes me laugh because you guys are asking answers instead of asking questions. Of course its a campaign gimmick what else can it be? Chiluba told you that in this year’s elections we are going to use international tricks and this is just one of them? Those who are crying that its a campaign gimmick, let me make u feel better by telling you that YES it is. Whats wrong with using campaign gimmicks in an election year? You should know that from the day you are voted into power as president everything you do should be a campaign. Building of roads, hospitals, schools all that is campaign. So whats the problem?
Campaigns (or gimmicks as you put it) are used with your own finances. Go check out the Democracy you have adopted. If Obama did anything of the sort he would be arrested and charged.
After Chiluba sold/gave out the Council houses, he wanted the third term. The flogging of the houses was fine as it provided people the opportunity to live in their own houses. The sad thing was the political motive behind it, and the lack of foresight re: Council revenue.
Again, after houses, what next? Die in them? The economy and indeed development is more than houses. People need jobs, good health and affordable quality education. The government must empower councils to build more houses and relocate shantty dwellers into them and get rid of shantty compounds.
The Zambians should take the houses, but make sure to vote responsibly for the “Change we can believe in”.
#10, Gundix I can tell from the way you tackle issues that you are UPND. Tell you what, I like UPND guys because they reason unlike our friends in the other party, you know who. I agree with you that the move was political, but hey, to an ordinary Zambian out there who has benefited from the gesture, its better to benefit from a political gesture than not benefit at all. So I don’t think me and you would score any points telling the beneficiaries of this gesture that its a political move. They don’t care as long as they have benefited. You mention all those other things that people need apart from housing. Don’t you think that now that they own houses they can focus their little income towards those. In English what RB has done it called “Saving the best dance for last”
Just grab the houses and run! But hey, DON’T UKUBEBA!!!
Thank you for the houses!I hope those who have gotten them for free will get their titles quickly.Some of us who paid for the houses from ZCCM in 2000 have not received our title deeds yet!
Most of those people who have paid for the houses if the consultant had not sold the companies to companies that were only interested in getting the machinery out of the country ,leave people unemployed and empty buildings!
get the houses and donchi kubeba who you will vote for period. these selfish suckers should go this year whether they like it or not……
WE SHALL RECEIVE ALL THE MMD WILL GIVE US IN THIS PERIOD INCLUDING CAMPAIGN MATERIALS LIKE T-SHIRTS, CAPS, CHITENGES AND HOUSES.
BUT NI DONT KUBEBA IS THE NAME OF THE GAME IN 2011. PA BWAAATOOOO!!!!!!
EVEN THE CASH, WE SHALL RECEIVE AND WILL SING FOR RB BUT DEEP DOWN WE KNOWN IT IS DONTCHI KUBEBA. NO AMOUNT OF BRIBES WILL SAVE MMD FROM LEAVING OFFICE. MMD ZWAAAAA!!!
This is rubbish can you also direct ZANACO to cancel my house loan so that I benefit if you think you are strong and honest Mr Banda Bwesani Nkongole
Zambians dont vote with brains but with their stomachs. Still more fye this doesnt scare us. Change is evident!
Zambians dont vote with brains but with their stomachs. Still more fye this doesnt scare us. Change is evident!
RB NAFUTI NAFUTI….CHABE COME 2011 !:d
Desparate attempt and poor campaign strategy aimed at wining this years election. RB under pressure and he has no regard to what so ever will happen to Banks and parastatals that gone loose money. Change is invertable baba and waves of change are blowing.
This move has just empowered our people to vote these THIEVES out of power. They will become middle income and the middle income group votes for the opposition. Thankyou!
THIS IS NOT COMPASSION…….DON’T BE EMOTIONAL…THIS IS THE TRICK CHILUBA USED IN 1996 TO WOO VOTES…….BUT THIS TIME NI DON’T KUBEBA………WE SHALL EAT BUT WE WILL NOT VOTE FOR THEM……..THESE HOUSES ARE NOT FOR MMD, THEY WERE COLLECTIVELY OWNED BY US ZAMBIANS, RB IS JUST USING THEM TO WOO VOTES……..THE CODE PHRASE IS DON’T KUBEBA, AFTER ALL YOUR VOTE IS SECRET!!!!!!!!!!
What a wicked trick! This man RnB never ceases to amass amazemnet in me. Dont Kubeba, we will vote this year!
LISTEN UP ALL YOU IMBECILES COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK WITH GUNS BLAZING. ARE’NT YOU THE SAME CHARACTERS WHO WERE REJOICING WHEN THE IMF AND OTHERS WROTE OFF ZAMBIA’S DEBT. SAME THING HERE THOUGH ON A MICROECONOMIC STAGE. THEY SAY CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME… SO GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YOU!!!!
:( saddening indeed to see how we human beings can be so selfish in trying to push our own interests. Our stupid president takes these houses(Which were built of you parents and your own money) and gives them away. Naturally the sitting tenant is selfishly happy and Banda thinks he has his vote. (Both greedy) These house where built out of your pension funds the paye you pay the vat the duties and excise duties. If he want his people empowered let him find an equitable program that helps all like cut down Paye and VAT by 50%. One way you can help me mr president is making sure that my landlord you gave a house away for peanuts stops charging me 4m in rent every month and increasing it by 30% every year and give me back at least some of the 4m you get from my salary every month.
Actually commentator this is not enough to just bribe the tenant, I am sure you also need a bribe, let him reduce PAYE by 70% and cover that loss with windfall tax, then remove VAT and fuel levy so that your life could be bearable.
To you tenants don’t vote for him, he is not a ghost so he wont see were you will tick on that ballot paper and wait for another bribe from HH, Milupi or Miyanda.
#26 Commentator you are right. What a few cant see is that here is a President who is using our money (not his party or his personal accounts) to campaign for his stay in power. We cant allow our taxes to be so misused. Certainly Kuya Bebele.
Instead of writing off debts, the Govt should pay off in cash for the sitting tenants, especially for the Mukuka Natwange housing units. These stocks cannot be given out for free because they were built using pension contributions from workers and I am one of them. On this one I’m ready to take RB to court so that we can be refunded our money. Cheap politics, father Lungu is right and should not be condenmed. It is easy to give for free things you did not sweat for.
Carefull people rigging has started as the undeclared game begins this R B thinks we dont know that our tax money is now being wasted
i also owe in chalala. help cancel my debt too.