OPPOSITION Members of Parliament have lauded Government for its decision to ban customary land allocation describing the move as long overdue.
This was after Lands , Natural Resources and Environment minister Harry Kalaba in a ministerial policy statement in parliament yesterday that Government had immediately banned illegal allocation of customary land.
Mr Kalaba said Government would introduce security tenure for land in customary areas and also finalise the land policy for proper land management in the country.
He said Government would also operationalise the Land Audit Commission and introduce measures to protect vulnerable groups of society and ensre that no land in excess of 250 hectares was sold in any chiefdom.
Debating the ministerial statement in parliament yesterday, opposition parliamentarians said that the Government move was in the best interest of the Zambian people who had continued to lose land in the name of investment.
MMD Kasenengwa MP Victoria Kalima described the move as excellent and commended the Lands minister for that bold step.
She however wondered what Government would do concerning the land that had been taken over by cadres but Mr Kalaba said the land alienation programme would visit everyone regardless of which party they belonged.
Rufunsa MMD MP Kenneth Chipungu commended Government for that decision saying it would give comfort to the people of Rufunsa, some of whom had lost 50,000 hectares of land to an investor.
Lubasenshi Independent MP Patrick Mucheleka urged Government to expedite the process and ensure that Zambians did not lose out.
Monze UPND MP Jack Mwiimbu asked Government what it would do to chiefs who illegally allocated land and Mr Kalaba said the law would apply.
MMD Sinda MP Levy Ngoma commended Government for the move and Mr Kalaba assured him that Government was determined to sort out the problem of land once and for all.
In welcoming the ban, MMD Mbala MP Mwalimu Simfukwe asked whether foreigners would be barred from customary land allocation but Mr Kalaba said Government would use the Lands Act to curb illegalities in land allocation.
MMD Chadiza MP Allan Mbewe wondered what would happen to old investments that had been put on illegally acquired land but Mr Kalaba said Government would only stop new land acquisitions and not areas where investment had already taken place.
MMD Kamfinsa MP Moses Chishimba said the move was long overdue and urged Government to consider degazetting and allocating the Kamfinsa forest area to the local people.
And Mr Kalaba said Government had started identifying areas to gazette them in all the country’s ten provinces.
He also said the customary law would also empower citizens throughout the country to have title deeds.
In supporting the statement, MMD Muchinga MP Howard Kunda urged Government to quickly take the land policy legislation to the house.
And responding a question on farming inputs, Minister of Agriculture Bob Sichinga maintained that Government has not yet purchased 42,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser.
the ban on sale of customary land can not work. what can work is the ban on processing of title deeds from customary land to statutory land or to obtain a title deed. people will still be selling each other land on verbal contracts. its another futile move by the PF
Thieves like you will always oppose any good move by government.
That’s fine . its small change that we can live with, but it makes it difficult for the so called investors buying huge tracks of land under the pretext of farming. Good legislation in my opinion.
Kwempe!!! had it not been for PF all your land would have been taken by Bazungus while u sleep. And when we tell u that PF is working, you think its a joke. MMD was in charge of this country for 20yrs, but did nothing to address this problem. Lekeni Sata ateke!!!!
Long overdue move. Please note that what is being stopped is the wanton selling of huge tracts of land and in process resulting in internally displaced persons because of the greed of some chiefs. However, land to the extent of 250 hectares can still be sold to Zambians for agro purposes. This is good!
Can the government investigate chiefs in Northwestern province. They have sold large chunks of land to bazungus. Villagers are being displaced any how. What a country!
Mulusa my brother you are very right. I am not sure which Mulusa you are. If you are Solwezi Central MP my brother be strong. You can get back your seat. The chiefs in Solwezi in particular have become very rich through selling of land. They do not care about their people.
Thanks but I am not the MP.
The undemocratic institutions of chiefs should follow the defunct feudal state to which they belong. It is archaic and must not be sustained any further by taxpayer’s money. Let the tribal groupings who want to continue with parallel governance structures based on family lines sustain them from own resources. This is a system where no matter how gifted one is they will never become head!!! While I derive entertainment from watching Kuomboka, Likumbi lya Mize, etc I do not enjoy being kept at the lowest rung of the leadership ladder just because I do not belong to the so-called “royal” family, forever a “subjet” or “commoner”.
I agree with Mulusa……government shoud also extend the investigations to Mumbwa district in chief Shakumbila`s chiefdom and the whole country. Many poor villagers in Shakumbila`s chiefdom have been displaced after selling the land to investors. Worse still some do not even know where to do go during this rain season imagine. PF please work up……these are votes you are already lossing in 2016. God Bless the poor being victimised from their ancestors land.
I have given the land to investors and will give a lot of it! These villagers are just lazy and cannot use this land. Why waste the land on them ? Let the investors develop it .
What will happen to the land I bought last month u better refund me.