Government has set up the Zambia Integrated Management Land Information System (ZIMLIS) that will help address the loopholes surrounding land distribution in the country.
Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Harry Kalaba says government wants land issuance to be decentralized.
Mr. Kalaba says ZIMLIS would work closely with an Israeli firm that has been engaged by government to capture data on land and seal off the loopholes.
The Minister was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He observed that land issues in Zambia was a cross cutting matter hence government was approaching it with the seriousness it deserves.
The Minister however, warned people in the country regardless of their political affiliation to desist from corrupt activities surrounding land because they risked being prosecuted.
Recently Mr. Kalaba announced that government had set up a joint Task Force headed by Home Affairs Deputy Minister Steven Kampyongo, to help curb the illegal allocation of land countrywide.
Mr. Kalaba explained that the Task Force would ensure officials tasked to curb illegalities gathered enough evidence to warrant the arrest of culprits.
He said the task force will include officials from the ministry of Local Government and Housing, traditional leaders and other stakeholders directly involved in the allocation of land countrywide.
Mr. Kalaba said his ministry has come up with various ways on how best to deal with illegal land allocation.
He cited one of the ways as the setting up of a land audit tribunal which will begin in January, 2014.
Mr. Kalaba said the tribunal will be launched as soon as funds were availed. He said the tribunal will be digitalised to enable people in far flung areas not to travel to Lusaka.
ZANIS
Israelis cannot stop the corruption
The problem at the Ministry of Lands requires a near clean start. There are a lot of corrupt elements among the registry staff. USAID spent a lot of money in setting up services centers at Land and ZRA. Yet within weeks the customer service center at Lands was defaulting on turn around times set. The case was different at ZRA, where one saw improvements and some semblance of an effort to stick to turnaround times.
Am sure none of you has ever dealt with the ministry of lands where graduates from CBU have influential positions right away; in fact the commissioner is an example. Guys, performance and education in the ministry of lands do not go hand in had. Many of us who know these guys are even afraid of going there because the treatment is even worse when they know that you know them; but if you get your papers through an agent, you will probably have a chance. Can someone explain to me why an application for title can take 7 years. Well, mine was done in 2006; the file went missing under MMD; resurfaced after PF won; to date, am waiting!!
@ High speed Black mama,
I thought the israelis are the hardest working race i have ever come to know, though they have their short commings just like all of us, when it comes to tilling the land, these guys mean business, i would rather we engage them in any investiment more than the Chinese, Indians etc.
I hope there will be no corruption involved whats so ever, otherwise, am ok with it.
Why engage Israelis, when CBU and UNZA churn out graduates in land economics every year? There are a lot of competent and qualified land surveying companies in Zambia that can do this work.
They are the same graduates who have let us down in many areas. Zambians are just not serious about things hence the need for foreigners. At least they have no relatives to favour.
You are right. It’s an insult. Does it mean we can’t do anything on our own?
@JiII as a matter of some truth(10%), The majority of these graduates have done a good job in Zambia. In fact the current demographic data indicate the large part of economy in Central and Southern Africa is driven by Zambian Graduates. Alas are our brave doctors and engineers, including animals and vet graduates. I am one the happy graduate who has contributed a lot through educating and impacting life skills to many young people.
Most Zambian graduates only perform better when they have no contact with money and influence connected to their jobs. Once exposed to these they succumb. Chiluba’s cabinet was the most learned of all but look at the mess they left. “Brave doctors and engineers” what special researches and designs have we seen after almost 50 years of independence? They just graduate and migrate to other countries to enjoy and feed their families. Not that there is any thing wrong with that but they should not be mentioned as brave. They are job seekers just like non graduates and nothing special about them period.
Tina, do not be misguided!! In every class, there is the TOP & the Bottom! Those that have mismanaged zed, you will find are mostly from the bottom – they can’t go abroad, they are experienced in manipulating the kaponyas we put in power!! The confident TOP, are the ones that migrate abroad – as they have the capacity to make it!! Just look at how Clive chirwa has been treated – why are they holding onto his passport? He can always be extradited if indeed they found him with a case to answer! As KK used to put it, “Scared little men at work in Zed!!” It is the more reason the TOP would rather LEAD DECENT LIVES ABROAD than suffer senseless agony, humiliation or sheer stupidity!!
It’s not about having more intelligent graduates to deliver, it’s about how corruption is managed in a country. Every graduate is capable of being corrupt given some loopholes. Why are we not corrupt when we come abroad, it’s because you will spend time in jail, whether tall or short. Zambian graduates are corrupt because of the system, when you see the top leadership being corrupt, you will also do it. If our anti-corruption institutions were airtight, we can be an corrupt free society. As long as we have a strong corruption culture, forget about development. Zambia needs a founding father, who will instil all these values in us, like Botswana has Ketumile Masire.
It starts with the minister. He is not versed in these issues. I wonder if he even tried to look within Zambia for expertise in this field. It’s the same old attitude that foreign is best. Does the minister understand what categories land in Zambia falls under? Does Isreal have similar land issues. I don’t think Isreal have Customary and State land and laws associated with it’s allocation. One can’t help suspect that this is how cuts in deals with foreign companies are done. Locally we can do this!
Israel has become the centre of technology. If you can’t beat them, join them.
UNZA and CBU have a lot to learn when it comes to research. Most graduates from these two institutions are nothing but theorists.
Agreed and with google maps, all that’s needed is the right software to map the land.
Please people let me remind you that it’s a Global world out there, remain an Island you will never set foot on the shores of development! Yes it feel like there are taking jobs from Zambians but this is what it means when you want to achieve your developmental goals, “Something Gotta give”! Infact i can understand why you think this way, everyone is crying that someone has taken their Job, no one feels safe to see an “outsider” meet their countrys challenge, actually it is so in actual sense, lets just make sure that this time we learn from them and produce our own expert for futre use, otherwise we will always be outsourcing!The world over make use of someone from outside their country to meet some gap somewhere, so it is normal what is being done and your reactions are also normal.
Like most Zambians those graduates are pron to corruption. And like it or not there thinking is limited dues to our selfish nature
Even things that you can do on your own you still want to give that thinking to the so called experts. Don’t we think adequately? What is so special about land allocation that we can’t think through and find solutions on our own. That borrowed knowledge will not be for ever because it is borrowed. President, minister, perimanent secretary, Local council, paramount chiefs, chiefs, headmen, among all these we can’t find the brains for land allocation unless the Isrealis!
And that is the confirmation that we havr failed to manage our own land.sure all those learned people in grz non had managed land. Managing land without tough laws is a waste of time.
Too much corruption at MoL as well as Local Authorities. If you have dealt with them, you will know what I am talking about. Then comes ZRA corruption also.
If you have not been to Zed to try and get land, take a break from your overseas business, go and experience the sad situation at home in Zed. It is infuriating!
And will Isreal sort that corruption? This Management system is software. All it requires is land parcel details and assign it an owner. If the operator and the allocator of the land parcel are corrupt the system will still capture the data input into the system. Unless the system has a workflow inwhich human tasks can be incorporated for counter signatories before approval, then the system will have same inadequacies as standard LIS (Land Information Systems).
@Mfumu; what GUNDIXY means is that the system will not solve the corruption per se; but it will give a chance to track the transactions so that genuine applications can be processed as efficiently as possible; and that one can track their application. Currently, you cannot get anything done if you dont have someone to do it for you, and to bribe your way out; from file search; to blabla; its nauseating my friend. What is more frustrating is that all this happens when the guys in charge of land management are learned people with degrees in land economics, law and MBAs. Yes, very educated people; unfortunately they have become so greedy, cocky and outright irrelevant to the demands of efficient land administration that Zambia needs. Its who you know, not what you take there!
@Mfumu
Thank you for expressing this so succinctly. This is what I was saying in an earlier comment when I said the Israelis cannot stem corruption.
It doesn’t matter how skilled they are or how great a system they implement. At the end of the day it’s the human element that determines how well any system works.
By the way, UNZA was designed and built by the Israelis, but never completed…Go figure.
I have asked countless times what is it that Zambia can do efficiently,profitably ever? Hopeless nation indeed.
@ Ba Enka,
Why dont you do something? development comes in all shapes and forms with all kinds of individuals, one tiny bit of you alone ba Enka is enough to contribute to Zambias efficiency, profitability to make Zambia a hopeful nation, i hope you get my point, otherwise, i will say the same for every country that is being tossed and turned around due to the economical, financial challenges that are Globally being witnessed. We only never get to know or hear much from every member of another country otherwise, the outcry on the blogs, netwerks etc, is the same as mine and yours towards our leaders, different circumstancies, but the same end result.. no bread on the table, jobs, health care, corruption, Racisms etc. so please be aware of todays life in todays world!
Just WAIT TILL UNCLE BOB south of the Zambezi hears of this, “A MUZUNGU MANAGING LAND FOR ZAMBIANS???????!!!!!!!!” What the heck???? WHY ON EARTH DID OUR FOREFATHERS FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE???? In Zim, Uncle Bob manages land!!!! What next?? Am sure we will soon ask someone to run our Min of Finance, our police – hey wait, why am I beating about the bush?? Lets just unearth Sir Roy Welensky – to occupy State House, as at the moment, we hardly see the current occupant – talk of a snake still hiding in its hole!!!!!!!
Whose idea is this? PF failures?
Do we really need a foreigner to manage our land? Learn from Barotseland .
Zambians put tribe before profession can’t think due to monkey greed inborn behaviour
The Israelis should demarcate land in Zambia to resettle the Palestinians preferably in Northern and so called Muchinga Province. This will bring peace to Israel and hasten the return of our Lord Jesus. And Zambia shall remain blessed forever for her role in hastening the return of the Lord!
Be careful what you wish for… that which you say in jest is regretted in leisure.
We can offer land to Messianic Jews to settle here my friend :).
Zambians are foolish.Of all people ,why the Israelis?This Pf govt is a joke.I say disolve Parliament and have new elections.PF,MMD and UPND must not be allowed to stand.Zambia needs a new start
I would like to have an audience with the minister? What happened to SIDA – Sweden? They funded and equipped the Lands department extensively. If any thing Swede Survey already has this know how. Why bring in new suitors who will have to learn from the locals from scratch and yet the technical partners for years haven’t been engaged? Swede Survey has a wealth of information land and cadstre in Zambia. I would love to ask Mr Kalaba Relevant questions especially what it is that the Isrealis are bringing that Zambians can not do nor Swede Survey? We all know how corrupt Isrealis can be in obtaining contracts.
Any Israel firms should not be trusted at all because these people are good at grabbing other peoples land .We all know the Zionist Israel are grabbing land in the occupied territory from poor Palestine people and are building homes for the Jews . We ought to keep our eyes wide open otherwise this Jew firms can sell our land to their Jews brothers back in Israel for peanuts and occupy our land and very soon we shall have influx of Jews all over in Zambia just as the Chinese. We have enough Zambian graduates with degrees from UK,USA, Russia, India as well as from Unza who can easily do the job effectively .
The won’t grab our Zambian land, for GOD decreed them not to mess around with peoples property unless GOD said so. Israel suffers always when they turn from JESUS.
Why all my comments await moderation for more than an hour?
why?
Amen. The Israeli land Jubilee is one of the greatest in the world. Every 50 years, every land owner has to renew their contract in a God give wisdom centric way. Been waiting for news like this for ages. GOD Jehovah heard my cries :).
Amen. The Israeli land Jubilee is one of the greatest in the world. Every 50 years, every land owner has to renew their contract in a God give wisdom centric way. Been waiting for news like this for ages. GOD Jehovah heard my cries 🙂 .
Zambians please study the Israeli Jubilee land management system. You shall be impressed.
Is the country so full of douche bags who can’t do the job that you are outsourcing to the western outsiders ??? Why do Zambians always put themselves down and sees white people as messiahs ??? This shows how some Africans (especially Zambians): -are self-loathing; luck self confidence; pull each other down; have inferiority complex; and never aspire to be conscious and proud of their Africanism ! I guess it’s because most of the educated Zambians became sick & tired of this attitude and simply went abroad !!! Leaving behind, a calibre of Zambians that are running the country into the ground by the choices they make on a personal, societal, economical and political levels, etc !! Please Zambians in the diaspora, if you love our country, come back home and contribute in any way possible…
Is the country so full of douche bags who can’t do the job that you are outsourcing to the western outsiders ??? Why do Zambians always put themselves down and sees white people as messiahs ??? This shows how some Africans (especially Zambians): -are self-loathing; luck self confidence; pull each other down; have inferiority complex; and never aspire to be conscious and proud of their Africanism ! I guess it’s because most of the educated Zambians became sick & tired of this attitude and simply went abroad !!! Leaving behind, a calibre of Zambians that are running the country into the ground by the choices they make on a personal, societal, economical and political levels, etc !! Please Zambians in the diaspora, if you love our country, come back home and contribute in any way possible
You can get the best land experts in the world, but if you have no WILL to properly administer land, this will all be in vain.
If you have the WILL, you don’t need to get the best experts, the civil servants can do it — that is their mandate.
#OneZambia
I wish the article highlighted some measures being put in place.
I support bringing outside help to resolve this issue because it is Zambians including the so called UNZA and CBU graduates who put us in this funk.
Maybe we could also contract an outside body to review all government tenders/contracts.
well i wudn’t dispute either koz the israelites hav the latest agric land technology but we also need the involvement of our own people