Friday, March 29, 2024

Kitwe City Council continues demolishing houses built on illegally acquired plots

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THE Kitwe City Council (KCC) operation for demolishing houses built on illegally acquired plots in Mindolo North yesterday entered third day in a running with a further more than 60 structures being razed.

Yesterday’s operation raised the demolition toll to about 300 houses that included already occupied structures and some built up to roof level.

Meanwhile alert police thwarted plans by affected residents from staging a demonstration over the continued demolition of their houses by a joint team of KCC security personnel and State Police.

Council public relations officer Dona Mbalwe said in an interview that the local authority demolished a further more than 60 houses for a third day running.

“More houses were demolished today (yesterday) although the number this time was less compared to the figures for the first two days and this is because we were using one bull-dozer as opposed to two when we started,” she said.

Ms Mbalwe said the other bull-dozer broke down on day two of the operation leaving the officers with one machine for the demolition exercise.

She said a security personnel yesterday apprehended a further 19 residents for being unruly during the demolition of the houses.

Ms Mbalwe said a group of unruly residents also mobilized around 10:00 hours and attempted to demonstrate by marching to the civic centre.

A check by the Times around the area for demolition found scores of victims of the demolition trooping in numbers towards the Kitwe-Chingola Road where they allegedly planned to gather to stage a demolition.

A heavy presence of State Police armed with anti-riot gear was found stationed at Mindolo Police Station in readiness for deployment.

The irate residents turned back after being approached by the police who requested them to choose five of their representative for an audience with KCC authorities.

8 COMMENTS

    • Hehehehehe it’s very interesting to see what they are reaping out of their own 2011 mistake hehehe lolest! We did tell them, they chose not to listen to wisdom but lies!

      Even Chanda Chimba III tried very hard risking even his own life!

  1. And u call Zambia a Christian nation. Why would Council wait for people to erect structures and then come to demolish. It’s very sad after getting a loan which has not even been paid or pension.

  2. Is it about the government in power or about the law? If anyone does not follow the law or choose to be cheated by the cadre about land allocation, then should face the consequences regardless of the party in power. I thought this is just simple logic…

  3. Ba mumbi,let me remind you that government since unip era has never taken an intiative to build houses.if you were there at that time you ll remember that accomodation was affordable because of the council houses etc.nowadays you will find that its too expensive,you ve no option,hence landlords ve taken advantage to exploit tenants….recently i attended interviews for plots at a certain civic centre,hoping that things will be done on merit or genuinely.i later discovered that plots were allocated even before the names could be published.kanshi balelyamo immediately after ama interviews,yalifye ni formality and those are the gus who got two or three each.ifwe wala.now tell me cadre or councilor offers you space can you refuse when things cant be done properly by the book.you even ve family

  4. Its unfortunate that people havent been given proper plots by govt to build houses on and all this has to happen. Some of those illegal compound houses are pretty decent and one can see someone has put in a lot of money. There must be a better way than this.

  5. Am in full support of the action that the pf govt has taken,these are the people who set alight tyres on the roads in 2011 when election results were delayed.Now,am happy they are paying the price for their deeds. all illegal structures must be demolished in the country so that we can have sanity.The pf govt should not worry because they will still vote for the pf.

  6. Its queit disehearting,inhuman and a failure propriently by those authority who took part in demolishing pipos houses. The land act on this mater is clear it states that when considerable improvements has been made on an illegal piece of land and any atempts to bring it down wil be ireparable or unjust then apropriate costs wil be made for that structure by the developer to remedy the situation.in short the builders should only pay for cost that may be determined to corect the situation,buldozers are not the solution,force is not the solution.everytime the council agents is caught manupulating inocent citizens in the face of ancient,corrupt individuals within and sactioned by wrong office bearers it the inocent who pay.l mis unip and the watershed spech at mulungushi rock of authority

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