A COMMITTEE appointed to investigate the Lusaka City Council (LCC) Lilayi land scam has recommended that councillors and other council staff involved in the illegality be prosecuted.
The committee has also recommended that the suspension of the Patriotic Front-controlled council be extended and that the land swap between LCC and Lilayi Holdings, which resulted in the illegal allocation of plots, be nullified.
Minister of Local Government and Housing Brian Chituwo disclosed this at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
“Some of the recommendations of the committee were that prosecution should be considered because the transactions were illegal. Secondly, the committee recommended that the land swap should be nullified and that in fact, the suspension was in order because of the irregularities in the allocation of land,” DrChituwo said.
He said LCC did not have the land agency from the Ministry of Lands but still went ahead to offer the land.
The committee also recommended that money should be recovered where there is need to do so.
The report of the committee that Dr Chituwo appointed under the Inquiries Act, was submitted to Cabinet, which has since considered its recommendations.
Dr Chituwo said the report contains certain aspects, bordering on breaches of a criminal nature.
“Clearly we have to institute the law enforcement agencies to follow up those findings,” Dr Chituwo said.
He said at the moment, he cannot release the entire report and that the Ministry of Justice will advise on the propriety of releasing the entire document.
“For now, it is clear that the law was not followed in the land swap because the Local Government Act is very clear. Before a council disposes of any property, they have to seek the permission of the minister. That was not done. Lusaka City Council’s land agency was withdrawn and therefore, they have no authority to issue offer letters for any piece of land,” he said.
Dr Chituwo said even before proper papers were obtained in terms of title, the privileged councillors were already selling plots.
“Clearly, one can see how the general public was denied an opportunity to own land as per prevailing law. There is no provision for the council to allocate 10 plots to the mayor and five plots to the deputy mayor, there is nothing like that.
“I believe that when the law enforcement agencies play their role in the matter, the innocent men and women who bought land, believing that the land was available in the right manner, consideration will be given,” he said.
Dr Chituwo suspended the LCC early this year after revelations of a scam in which councillors and members of staff allocated themselves 91 plots in Lilayi. The plots were allocated from a land swap between LCC and Lilayi Housing Project after the demarcation of farm number 915 in Lilayi.
During the third ordinary council meeting held on January 3, 2010, the council approved the proposed land swap with the Lilayi Housing Development of farm number 915 in Lilayi where the councillors have since allocated 91 of the 103 plots to themselves.
Meanwhile, Government has directed the LCC not to renew existing leases or offer new ones for car wash bays on roadsides or other designated places including play parks.
Dr Chituwo said this is intended to promote decency in the development of the city, in line with Government’s desire to improve the road network by redesigning any particular road that will ease flow of traffic.
DrChituwo urged all local authorities not to allow any construction of car wash bays on the road reserve or any designated areas.
“Any local authority which will not adhere to the provisions of the law will be dealt with in accordance with the Local Government Act Cap 281 of the Laws of Zambia. I wish to appeal to the owners of these structures to co-operate with the LCC, by pulling them down as they are temporary structures. In light of this, the council has given notice to affected owners in good time to avoid loss of property,” he said.
Dr Chituwo said Government is concerned with the manner in which local authorities countrywide are using land for various developments, and that over the years, there has been an increase in car wash bays without any regard to the dictates of the Town and Country Planning Act.
He said currently, the LCC has granted permission to some car wash bay owners without considering any development, which involves the formation, lay-out or material widening of a means of access to a main road, as defined by the Roads and Road Traffic Act.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Ubupuba ba Daily mail bwachilamo
LT, is this the only picture of Minister Brian Chituwo that you have? It is always the same pic every time I have seen him on your site!!!!!!!!!
and this picture is scary. use better pictures please.
The picture they use of George Kunda picking his nose also cracks me up (….can never decide if he is just ill-mannered or secretly giving us the finger).
kwaliba sana ubupuba muliba MMD, so how many councils have you audited so far?
PF is busy saying ‘Donch kubeba’ while their other hand is in public cofers and portions of land from the masses!!!Shame on you PF,no wonder you will never enter plot one!!!
Corruption is a bad vice but politicizing every little thing is dangerous. Audit other councils too and let MMD come out clean. You suck you gone by party. You are freeing real plunderers except those you can reap off politically. Katele is in for it, he was a threat to your political ambitions now you are busy hoodwinking us in believing you are fighting corruption, alas thats what is called Selective persecution not prosecution.
Also investigate how RB has attained 100 acres of land that was part of York farm in makeni.
Can you Audit Mbulakulima also who has grabbed land from FAZ. The youths are ever drinking because all the sports fields have been turned into plots by Mwadya Mweka Dady (MMD) govt. Lets be serious and be able to apply the law fairly please. We are all zambians and equal beneficiaries to our national resources.
I think the report is incomplete. It should have also stated what laws and regulations were breached. As at now, all we are being told is that the allocation was illegal, which is quite vague
Suzen katema who is RBs sisters daughter and is working at the embassy in germany has been given vast tracts of land by meanwood involving shady deals. Pleas investigate.
Mr. Lubinda what do you say now? You should resign for having tried to halt these investigations.
Lubinda mwadya bwino dady
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