President Banda has reduced by 50 percent the prices for the sale of RAMCOZ houses. Similary, the Presidential decree has affected all Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) houses.
” I wish to inform the people of Luanshya that with immeadiate effect, the price of RAMCOZ shall be sold to sitting tenants at 50 percent of the 2006 price,” he said.
The President said this follows sitting tenants’ petition for him to consider revising the asking price of the said housing units. The move will affect 2000 families.
Mr. Banda stated that prices for the sale of RAMCOZ houses should be sold to sitting tenants at 50 percent of the 2006 evaluation.
He said he had accepted the recommendation from the Vice President George Kunda, as Justice minister and supervisor of the Administrator General, that the houses of be reduced by 50 percent.
He disclosed this during a public rally at Dola Hill in Ndola today.
President Banda announced that the Ministry of Lands has already started processing offer letters to all sitting tenants.
He urged the Ministry of Lands to promptly issue all offers and certificates of title.
President stated that he was not prepared to have delays in the issuance of certificates of title as has been the case with the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) houses.
Meanwhile, the President has handed over five letters of offer to sitting tenants of ZAFFICO to purchase their houses at prices ranging from K4 million to K1.5 million.
The beneficiaries include a Mr Bornface Kasote who will pay K3.5 million, Maxwell Kalyamato K4 million and Moleon Muthali who will pay a paltry K1.9 million.
Others are Wisdom Musonda K1,9 Million and Davies Ngulube will pay K 1.5 million for his house.
He said having shelter gives dignity to the family and hence his government was committed to empowering the citizenry with accommodation for them to be economically empowered.
And President Banda has promised to find a person that provide funds to purchase a house for a widow of an ex ZAFFICO employee.
President Banda stated that he was touched when he saw the woman and her children when he inspected the housing units and felt duty bound to find someone who will buy her the house.
About 2, 000 Zambians will benefit from the sale of ZAFFICO and RAMCOZ houses.
ZANIS
It is only in Africa! This is lawlessness!!! Everything is by decree!!
What will the govt remain with if everything it owns is sold?
We are watching
Good news. This is real empowerment. Now 2,000 families will be empowered.
This is good to the sitting tenants. God bless Zambia, the real Africa.
————-elections———–
Cry My Beloved Country
Thank them for the houses but when voting ni dont kubeba. Sata alilanda ati nangu bamipelela indeke just get it and chew but paku voter in pabwato.
Copperbelt has gone HAUTRIFOREN
All houses, including State House at plot 1, RB should offer to sitting ternants… but DON’T KUBEBA.
2000 will only give MMD 20,000. Still more fye kuya bebele! No mathamatical equation will reverse the mood of change! What ever MMD will offer zambians it will not work. Lesa twafwe! Heavenly father Punish our tormenters. Teach them lessons they shall not forget in this years elections.
Why is this guy panicking who doesnt know that this guy is buying votes if you let him win you will pay dearly
CORRUPTING THE MINDS OF THE POOR PEOPLE
Politics at it’s best! I can’t blame RB for behaving like this becoz this is the type of politics promoted by Sata and the Post. I am a British citizen and personally I won’t be affected by Sata or RB’s actions. But, I do worry about my bbululus in Zed becoz when things are tough they come to me for help. and according to my assesmnt HH is the only presidential candidate that will bring tangible change in Zed. The choice is yours!
Let us just sell the Government as well!!
SUCH THINGS LIKE THIS ONLY HAPPEN IN AFRICA.RB DOES NOT RESPECT THE ZAMBIAN,HE THINKS HE CAN MANIPULATE THEIR MINDS BUY TRYING TO BUY VOTES FOR 4-1million.THIS IS VERY UNFORTUNATE AND DISGUSTING AT THE SAME TIME,RB HAS NO PLAN ZED,THATS Y NOW HE IS MANIPULATING THE POOR PEOPLE SO Â THAT HE CAN CONTINUE STEALING FROM THE SAME POOR PEOPLE.SHAME ON YOU RB.
PEOPLE OF CB,DON’T BE MANIPULATED BY THIS MONSTER,JUST BECOZ HE CAN THROW MONIES AROUND,BRIBE WITH A HOUSE.THIS IS A TRICKERY CAMPAIGN STRATEGY,HOWEVER SHOW THEM THAT YOUR VOTE IS NOT CHEAP,GET THE OFFER BUT DON’T VOTE FOR THEM,COZ THEY ARE THIEVES.THE DECISION IS YOURS.Â
THIS IS PURE CORRUPTION, DID YOU SEE WHAT WE DID TO KAFUPI? Â BUT IN THE HISTORY THIS IS THE PRESIDENT WHO IS?????????????…….PEOPLE TO EVEN WELCOME HIM ,FOR ME MMD IS NOT BWAFYA THE RB ENA LISEBANYA PA Africa.Â
Politics at its highest pick! Ba Bwezani, Mangani mayumba yanu mupase banthu osati kupasa manyumba ya bene! What a president. Ba Capitalist, I am worried that you are serious blind Cardar
Glab anything that comes your way, but please DON’T KUBEBA. This is the year and one of change. We just cannot have MMD for ever and they need to understand that/ TIME IS UP RUPIAH
This is what you get when too much power is in the hands of one man. As others have observed, it is only in Africa. Decisions are made instantly without thought.
PEOPLE ARE NOT STUPID; THEY WILL GET THE HOUSES AND THEN VOTE AS THEY LIKE.
#13 Zed Patriot
If you are a British why do you always comment on our country? Aren’t there enough British issues to pass your silly comments on? If you are so concerned about your bululus invite them to come and live with you or you shut up if you can’t sneak them under the Boarder Agency radar. You’re not a Zambian please go away mambala iwe.
Thank you Mr President our people need itÂ
RB, also remember all other employees. Sell all the Companies (including parastals) to them as “Sitting Employees”
#21. Shallow mind. Put up your own argument against Zed Patriot. Do not attack his origine. On the subject matter of free houses, lazy people will always appreciate cheap things. No wonder we are poor as a nation. Encourage people to build. After all , the Kaponyas are building their own houses because they had no chances of staying in institutional houses.
RB why give houses which you didnt build?HH is also part of the RAMCOZ sell making pipo suffer and put money in his pocket while pipo are still leaving without benefits.Why spend Usd98m for society house instead of building houses for zambians.Look at the high rentals being charged in lusaka?Look at the high cost of plots making only the rich or thives buying land and build expensive houses.RB good bye with your sonsuild expensive houses.RB good bye with your sons
kekekekeke kikikikikiki! when you are pf you cannot drive things but can only react, yaba!
The selling of houses to sitting tenants was never started by RB. It was FTJ with his confidant answering to the names of Micheal Chilufya Sata who manipulated our peolpe with K10,000.00 houses. FTJ sold mines for almost nothing but a song with MCS offering the much needed support. They shamelessly pilferred our coffers through the infamous SLASH FUND. Rb is following suit. Here’s my message to the old guard:
Your generation has failed us big time. We the young Zedians are moving a step higher so we can solve the significant problems you’ve created for us. Like it or not its only the young generation that will bring us real change not you with your tired brains if you have any.
Give houses and kill businesses… yeah right. Companies will close their doors and you gonna eat houses. Thats why we need a business minded president and not this complete hack in plot one.
This is setting a very dangerous precedent. People who are owing their institutions money for rentals all purchase of houses are all going to stop paying hoping that a presidential decree will cancel their debt. This is also going to adversly affect the real estate market in the towns concerned. Market forces should be left to play out on their own but in this case RB decisions is making landlords overnight… adversly affecting those who invest in property. The negative effect of these decisons on the economny will be far reaching
What an absolute buffoon! Elections truly are a wonderful thing, quite a lot is being achieved. Who’s he trying to kid?
Prior to elections the same people were ignored.
pure shamless corruption.
Did you know that KTZ ginerry has been sold to a malwian company and is now beind transported. The empty buildings are now used to store maize.
The real drama unfolds…………..erections tym aight?
What about us civil servants who have never been sitting tenants, renting houses you have sold at K1,000,000, paying K2,500,000/month as rentals? This is infantile at its best. The best is to build enough houses and accommodate civil servants and give them as sitting tenants. That is why MMD you are getting no vote from the majority civil sufferers, apart from a few who have been helping themselves from what they steal for you (on your behalf).
Shame!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am surprised by the timing of this announcement. Chiluba ( M.H.S.R.I.P ) brought a lot confusion into an issue that should have been straight forward. I know a lot of people that worked for Z.C.C.M. that paid for houses that they will never live in or benefit from. To come and announce this when the body of the man who brought the confusion is still fresh in the ground and the elections are just around the corner is beyond me. Politicians are all the same. Why was this not done much earlier? MMD have just lost my vote. Â Â
And why didn’t the MMD give these houses away before the elections?
No vision, no policies that help the ordinary citizen in any way, and now they are using houses to buy votes.
They have not policy victories to run on, so they start giving away parts of the state, the way they have been giving away the mines to transnational corporations.
Pretty disgusting.
This guy is good at it! Go SATA, go!
That man has started masalamusi coz elections are near. Why cant he make good decisions way before elections???
Good evening
Well, now even the blind can see the motive behind these favours – to stay in office at any cost.
It is also obvious that too much power is concentrated in the presidency of the ruling party to the detriment of the opposition. What we need in Zambia is a powerful parliament which is able to question these decisions and if possible pass a bill to approve or dissaprove them.
I wish someone could shed some light on why all politicians are the same. Look at Obama, he announced withdrawing troops from Afghanistan during an election year i.e. 2012 and here in England, Cameron also announced doing the same by 2015 also an election year. This is beginning to sound all too familiar. There is something about power that you can only understand when you are the one in the sit. Those houses he is talking about where sold in 1997 and 14 years later we are still talking about the same thing. Could someone tell us what happened to the money that was realized from selling the Mines?   Â
Please, read what Obama said before he got elected. Don’t just say stuff from without. If this is your way of justifying what your foolish president RB is doing, please find other examples.
This year we are not tolerating anyone claiming victory based on some uninformed,uneducated,illiterate villagers.Distribute those houses,geysers,Judo sports hall,mobile fimo fimo ……………………………………………………………………ni Donchi Kubeba
#40 Obama made the promise during his election  last campaign not this year even the first withdraw is not this year. Do even try to compare him with our RB.
Zed politics is so can wait for the end of this rubbish and hope one day we shall have right candidates to represent this generation.
#1 The Kimbaguist
Damned if he does, damned if he does not. There are certain things that a President can do through government policy and legislation, but these cannot be done within 3 years and three national budgets. What can be done by decree, should be done if it immediately benefits the people. Is there any right thinking person in the world who thinks that making people home owners in a country where mortgage interest rates are so high, is a bad idea? These houses were built so long ago that the only cost to the tax payer is expensive maintanance.
Job well done RB.Now can the VICE PRESIDENT ALSO advice the all ministrys to pay people within the ruling of the courts.More than 500 ex servince men and women,police also 500not yet paid the persoin.We have won the case by the Vice president has gone to court to appeal
RB is cheap. Just what the hell is going on in Zambia? Is this what the The Late political adviser told him to do to win the elections? Pathetic! Then start giving people food and all the essentials of life for free. Let’s go back to the time when people used to survive without money and the modern ways of doing things, UNIP wamuyayaya and all that kind of sh.it!
#42 Get your facts right before you answer. The election in the U.S.A is next year and the withdrawal is scheduled for the same year. As far as Zambia is concerned I believe that we are still very far from having a credible president. There is too much power vested in the executive such that I would not be surprised if this announcement came as a surprise to a lot of MPs. This is what is called politics of appeasement. Â Â
Just how gutless could a Malawan be????
Vodka! Vodka! Maid bring me some Vodka and mabisi for my visitors. We are talking free houses here with MMD. Its desperation time
This is what you get when you have got a certain president of a certain poor country yet more powerful than Obama.
Coming to America-Zamunda!
Or is it Idi Amin Dada
Where are we going selling houses and you think it is enpowering no… Give roans to the people to build thier own houses .chiluba way of doing thing.Workers have no houses and you busy selling what a gov`t.
Get the houses, vote PF, don’t kubeba, Its too late for MMD, it won’t work for you. peoples mind are set , you cannot un wind them. Please don’t kubeba.
MORE DONCHI KUBEBA
Desperation indeed. RB recently promised mandevu residents free solar gysers when mandevu has no plumbing in place!!. RB those houses have no pipes.
Only fools will vote for RB. Donchi Kubeba
The opposition should tell the tenants that these are their houses. They should buy them and vote for whoever they desire.
What a shame. A house at 300 dollars? Where on earth???????? Only in Zambia. I hope the government will start to collect taxes to sustain itself. Councils are now really doomed. RB just like late Kafupi does not realise that they are prolonging the burden of service to community on future governments.
Is RB a reincarnate of Idi Amin? This is really laughable. Ba Capitalist used to call this tweet an “Economist”, what economist behaves like this village tyrant called Rupiah Banda? It seems even the MMD cadres on LT are now dwindling. So ashamed to raise their tails. Knuckleheads! MMD, party of pea brains. What a shame!!!
@57 kalos, i do not know your social standing but would advise you not to be robotic. even in one’s wildest imagination, rb can not come anywhere near idi amin. i do not know about other fields, but in the medical discipline where i ply my trade, before you give a patient a treatment, one needs to do a risk – benefit analysis just because all known treatments do come with side-effects, potential risks. if the risks outweigh the benefits, then it’s not worthwhile give the said treatment and vice versa. in this instance the questions one needs to ask are: what are the benefits of this action to the 2000 + families potentially affected versus potential risk to the community, government etc. if i were rb and knew that doing this would harm my political aspects as you seem to imply
i would still go ahead and do this because the potential benefits to the 2000 + families far outweight any possible amount harm to myself
@43, you are spot on regarding maintenance costs. the cost of rehabilitating those houses far outweighs their value. one option is to raze them and sell the estate/plots, but then where do you take the human beings there, the sitting tenants/widows/retirees? if you razed them, where is your heart? not everyone lacks a heart for others like bwana sata who cannot attend the funeral of a close colleague. the perfect solution is what mmd has done, it goes down well with the people. if you are a pf blogger please remember that when fjt introduced the policy, we have no record of any objection by bwana sata. and if he were in power he would do exactly the same just for the votes. agony is that the presidency has eluded him, but that is not rb’s fault but bwana sata’s platform of lies.
These are properly constructed houses with brick/block and mortar, not like the cardboard houses we live in – in some parts of the diaspora. We pay $200,000 plus in mortgages for these cardboard houses, and now RB sells brick houses for a song! So don’t ask why you’re underdeveloped and why you will go nowhere.
The only winner in this is RBish! Politically garners votes, the house owners definitely gain too, as for them, IT IS DONCHI KUBEBA!!!!!! LOL!!! However, remember you still have to pay land rates!!!
Meanwhile the holding companies lose out, as their Capital Base is suddenly written off by a plunderer of a different guise!!
The man is so stingy!!! Out of all his deals, he couldn’t sacrifice & purchase such a cheap house for the poor widow??? For crying out loud, if the houses are cheaper than K4M, this simply beggars belief!!!! As for him, all pennies are for his pockets, some one else can pay for his benefit whilst he reaps the cheap votes!!!!
Cheap for him to garner COMPASSION in the name of this widow!!! Any way, NI DONCHI KUBEBA uno muku!!!!!!!!
Rbish, DONCHI kuWorry, as poor Zambians, we have come a long way to SEE THROUGH CHEAP TRICKS LIKE YOURS!!! Once bitten, Twice shy!!! Forget it, Kafupi used this one once, JUST TRY TO BE CREATIVE!!! DON’T RE-INVENT THE WHEEL!!!
This is very unfair, buying votes and yet other Citizens cannot even be given Land. Zambians in Diaspora, did you get your promised pieces of Land? Let us also get farms for free.
Are the 2000 families the only voters??
I remember Levy one time wanted to give away houses in Kapiri Glass Factory area if not mistaken during elections, people complained and he reversed the decision, saying who ever wins will choose what to do coz he didn’t want to abrogate the electro code of conduct. This Banda thing doesnt listen, he is always bent on doing rubish. Sheiii!
@3 Capitalist tell your so called president that those are ZCCM not RAMCOZ and were sold to us for as little as 500,000kwacha. This we have paid through our terminal benifits so can this man refund 50% of what I paid? By the way many miners have sold those houses and moved to other towns
Blablabl 29// “Market forces should be left to play out on their own but in this case RB decisions is making landlords overnight… adversly affecting those who invest in property” I do not agree with this statement because market forces are not all-time the best decision making criterion. The questions probably are a) whether or not the beneficiaries deserve the the gesture? b) How about their capability to build own houses? c) Why did RB offer houses to this community and not any other community? d) Is the offer likely to reduce poverty? e) If so, is RB in order to embark on a poverty reduction measure in this community? Sata should not complain because RB is just following the same strategies Sata’s MMD government used which makes Zambian label Sata as pragmatic.
The power vested by constitution of zed in this fool is way too much. Not even a president of USA has such power domestically. Australia prime minister worse, she has not even motorcade and sits in front seat and opens door for her self.
If one day we will have a sane leader please reduce these powers for the better of our country. RB is now a god and alot of his ministers are worshiping this twit. Western countries are developed because people work productively not this twit in the name if president who is encouraging lazyness. Wait for elections.
RB is not wrong to empower Zambians with houses which in many cases are not well maintained. After all Sata offered more houses at the time he was MMD chief advisor to Chiluba and has a higher propensity to undertake such measures than any of the major political party leaders. If this measure by RB is viewed owerwise, then Zambians should just advise Sata to appologize for founding bad strategies.
Guys stop bull-sh-ee-ting. Do you how many flats and houses were bought by SATA and Wynter Kabimba? Muletekanya. Let the poor tenants become land lords as well.
Masebo has joined the mighty PF. Viva!!
Sell and build massive new ones but the whole idea behind these sales is nothing but selfish.
thinking he can pull a ka chiluba stunt…
Good news there, VIVA to RB for favourably responding to citizen wishes. I pray that something is done to old police houses. Sell them to sitting tenants too. Our cops have missed out on this national housing empowerment and its only fair that they too benefit. If we cant sell the houses, let them be given Land. INSANSA KUCHINJANYA
With or without FTJ those ZCCM were going to sold because it was part of the WB/IMF conditions for Zambia to get financial relief from the 2 insititutions. KK refused to the sale of mines and give houses to miners as part of their terminal benefits. Under pressure KK would have given in had he stayed longer in office
Iwe Nostradamus#4 Twakana sana! State House cant be sold to sitting tenants at halfprice. Ulefwaya ChiBanda chikasende ama tunnels at half price! Knowing him he will even extend the tunnels to Mbebaland so that he can be travelling underground and catching snacks all the way to Chipata. No ways
Uncle T// You have a point. Some govnt houses are really in bad shape and a minor earthquake can mean disaster in Zambia. If sold to tents better coz some of the tenants will do major overhauls and minimize risks of loss of life. Remember the quake in Malawi how many were affected. RB should dispose off as many sub-standard houses as possible as precautionary in response to observed increases in natural disasters. There’s nothing political about such measure aimed at saving lives of the citizens.
Japan authorities are taking all measures necessary to minimize effects of future natural disasters and we see constructions all over. Some weak old buildings are brought down to ensure safety of the people. Quakes are everywhere these days and the earlier government moves fast the better.RB dispose of those houses and save our people.
“President stated that he was not prepared to have delays in the issuance of certificates of title as has been the case with the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) houses”. It should say…”as he did not want to lose the elections”. Such political decisions should be made in a way that does not leave any lingering doubts in people’s minds about the president’s motive. It is amazing the number of “developmental” decisions that have been made within a short space of time. Why always wait till the last minute? Come guys, you can surely do better than that?
 Mr. Capitalist – 3 E’s steering economic growth says:Sat Jul 02 at 2:57 pmGood news. This is real empowerment. Now 2,000 families will be empowered.
While I have always enjoyed mature and issues based comments from Mr. Captialist, sometimes it is better not to comment on issues that are mere politics and border on criminality and injustice.
RAMCOZ owes billions of Kwachas to businessmen who create jobs in Zambia. Diluting their recovery of debt from receivers of RAMCOZ borders on criminality and injustice. His Excellency needs proper economic and legal advisers, lest him put law abiding Receiver General and her staff in grave problems – dereliction of her duty, answerable to High Court and a barrage of legal actions for impropriety.
There is nothing wrong in the president giving out old houses at reduced  prices. He is simply empowering poor people with one of the most important basic requirements. The units are given to sitting tenants of diverse political inclinations. Please let us be glad that lives have been saved while they have a choice of their party and candidates to vote for during the forthcoming tripartite elections. Â
Geez, those houses are old. They were at most Liabilites to RAMCOZ cause one has to put in perspective the maintenance costs….etc. All this has done is transfer ownership from RAMCOZ to the seating tenants. This is empowering them because the seating tenants now have an asset with which they can use to upgrade their social standing.
Others can rent the property out, others can convert the house into a lodge, others can demolish the house, build something modern and sell it for a profit, others can refurbish the house and sell it for a higher price, others can use it as collateral for getting a bank loan which they can use to start a business, others can simply choose to live in the house. It is up to them. This is in every essence empowering them. Benefit > cost
You cannot empower someone with someone’s property. Buy it and then give it out. Despite how old one’s property is, if they have not given it to you, it is not yours to give away or take. That is theft. Just because my property is old in Zambia, that does not constitute you taking it away and giving it to my sitting tenant on the pretext of maintenance cost. It is mine, and I decide what to do with it. If the tenant wants to buy, they discuss with me, period. Not RB dictating the terms, time and price. It is free market ba yama.
RB Nafuti nafuti
Ewakulile amyanda aleshitisha? Ifya bu puba.