LANDS and Natural Resources Minister Christabel Ngimbu has said foreigners are not restricted by any law to own land in Zambia.
Ms Ngimbu said the government is working on revising the land policy so that more local people can access land.
The minister said in an interview that many Zambians want to own land but most of it is owned by foreigners who are reselling at high prices.
“The government is working on revising the land policy so that the locals can be empowered to also own land but foreigners under the current law are not prohibited from owning land,” she said.
Meanwhile, the ministry of Lands is studying reports where Livingstone and Ndola city councils reportedly demarcated ungazzetted land in the forest reserves.
Lands minister Christabel Ngimbu said that the two reports were being studied to ascertain what happened and who was involved before action could be taken.
“I won’t rest until the culprits are brought to book. I don’t care whether the people involved are from the ministry or the council.
Stern action would be taken as deterrent measures to avoid this illegality,” Ms Ngimbu said.
Livingstone City Council was reported to have demarcated ungazetted land, a forest reserve, while Ndola City council also demarcated and sold plots on a piece of land it was not authorised to subdivide.
Ms Ngimbu said it was sad that the councils have taken illegal sale of land as an income generating venture, when they were merely agents of the ministry and are not by law allowed to sale land.
The formulation of the Land Policy which is process would curtail illegal land allocation countrywide.
Government undertook countrywide consultations which culminated into a Draft Land Policy in 2006 which would be revised.
Interviews have been conducted to select the consultant to review the 2006 Draft Land Policy but the successful applicant was yet to be communicated to.
The contract for the consultant has been to the ministry of Justice for clearance.
The objective of the consultant would be to review the draft policy and identify the gaps, identify critical land issues that should be addressed in the Land Policy.
The consultant would also review land policies from selected countries highlighting provisions that have worked to foster economic growth, equity in land distribution and security of tenure.
Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) Chairperson Eugene Kabilika believes the main reason for illegal allocation of land is lack of strong legal framework that is accepted by all key players in land administration.
ZLA is a network of Non-Governmental Organisations working for just land policies and laws that take into account the interests of the poor.
The organisation promotes secured access, ownership and control over land through lobbying and advocacy, research and community participation.
As usual, confessing no one has worked. PF has also failed. thought it will do
no foreigner should own land but lease.pls change the law as soon as possible.Colonisation is long gone.we don’t want the whole China to own us.
Well you need to change the law , I think the second phase of colonisation is now under way. Land in African is cheap and the west have in the last year alone bought land in African the size of UK. There is something fishy going on. Arable land is only plentiful in Africa and there now new scramble for it
Go home and invest. How many hectares do you own where you are?
Your English is very poor. Everywhere is African, what do you mean?
In this say and age we still have pipo who think like Cas? English is not our mother tongue.Have you not seen how Indians who were also colonised by the British speak poor English but are very progesssive?
This law needs urgent change.
There is absolutely no way that we can be saying “revisit law so that Zambians can also acces land”. we are even using the term also in our own country?.
If I were Minister of Lands, I would change that overnight.
Revise it fast kabili not just talking, policy statements always which do not even work.
Can you also go and investigate that corrupt Solwezi council (refer to the planning department) and its rotten activities please. I beg you. Those culprits are hindering progress. Whats happening in Livingstone is childsplay compared to Solwezi (why does everyone ignore that elephant in the room and only talk about the kitten crossing the floor).
WOMAN WHO DITCHED HER HUBBY ATI U ARENT MY TYPE
ULUSE
WAIT BI T CH 2016
U WILL REMEMBER YOUR HUBBY
Is that what she did ??? Surely then some other prick aletomba this thing. Adyela, tho
Women always bring about irrelevant discussions on a topic. We get it she is more beautiful than you, keep it moving we are talking about serious matters here. Land related.
Viva President Nawakwi.
They are gradually mortgaging the country and I think the foreigners they are talking about are the Chinese. Remember the story about the camel and his master?
If she can only deal with the land mafia tricks in the Ministry and Councils.
Action speaks louder than words. Get down to work, we have heard of such cheap talk.
It should be on reciprocity basis. Only citizens of countries that allow Zambians to own land on their territory should be allowed to own land in Zambia.
@Vinabwela mochedwa…
Those are the kinds of contributions needed. Reciprocity is the way the policy must go.
By the way, I hope mama Ngimbu has not ditched her husband. If you have not ditched him please do NOT mistreat him either. We call Zambia a Christian nation and Christ does not condone such behaviour. Remember, the period we live on earth is preparation for how we are going to live after we die. That man is God’s creation. I really pray that you continue to honour your husband.
In Botswana a foreigner can not own land.South Africa is also working on the same.HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO TOLERATE THIS NONSENSE.
WE ARE SITTING ON A TIME BOMB.PF IN THE FOREFRONT OF MORTGAGING THE COUNTRY.
This actually started with UNIP. We should have revolted right after independence like Botswana.
Viva President Nawakwi.
Government should not announce everything without making changes, this is depressing. UPND, MMD and PF MPs must be the most useless creatures in Zambia. Kaunda only let a certain Gaulunia farms owner and commercial farmers have large tracks. Use the Israelie 50 year jubilee method of land ownership. NOW!!!!
Viva President Nawakwi.
considering how much land in zambia we have nothing wrong with foreigners owning(technical 100 year lease)but they must be forced to develop it or else taken away…..its all well and good to say more zambias should own land but when was the last time zambia banks gave me loans for big business let alone buying land infact the whole mortgage culture is still new to zambia….. I will say this is that they should limit the amount a single foreigner can hold on to land
how come me that was born and bred in Zambia by Zambian parents is denied my rights to own land or asked to bring 250,000 US $, to invest in Zambia first…because i now hold a non .Zambian citizenship?????????????????
Mind you i still have my whole clan living outthere!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can a zambian own land in china?
Can a zambian own land in India ?
Can a zambian own land in Lebanon ?
List continues…?
Yes, a Zambian can own land in some countries, e.g.Germany.
BUFI aii, epotwa ambila ukupapatila ka plot fye, nangu ni áyayene amayanda balepangila chalimo ati awe mulolelefye dual citizenship muli constitution nga yapita!!
Viva Jambia,
We can come and show you how to develop Jambia.
Well done Mr Prezident
But somalis should only be restricted to “own land” on lake bangweulu or kariba.
Dangerous as they are plus their propensity to bring terror ,no Somali should ever own a piece of Zambia.
Zambian Land is for Zambians. Foreigners can only rent from us. That way we will all be empowered. PF please start thinking for once.
What I can’t stand is having foreigners like Gaulun getting prime land for almost free then he demarcates it and sells it to Zambians at exorbitant prices & the government of the day thinks this is OK. There should be conditions attached to foreigners owning land. They shouldn’t hold land undeveloped for re-sale at very high prices. In Livingstone, Indians bought defunct factories with huge tracts of land for very little money when Chiluba regime closed down industries. Now they’re reselling them at very high prices without having made any development at all. This is robbery.
The Lands Act prohibits non Zambian from owning land unless they have resident permits or investment permit.
I thoght that no-one can own land and that the government owns all of it and a person can only
lease it from the Government ?
That is correct. However a non Zambian cannot lease it unless he holds a resident or investment permit.
Zambeef, Zambia Sugar, Amatheon farms, First Quantum minerals, Sable Farms and Dar Farms combined own at least a 5% percent of Zambia’s total landmass. This is very wrong and must be addressed immediately. This is something out President is going to address very soon I’m sure.
The issue of owning anything even land is some low level stuff really. Strictly speaking we are all foreigners and we are merely passing through earth and we will die and leave everything behind so really who has a right to all these earthly treasures………well, no one.
@ Dilip Prasad
Kekekekeke…Jambia indeed! Nice on there! Just advertise and see how many Chinese will flood Jambia, the dragon is almost bursting!
@ Dilip Prasad
Kekekekeke…Jambia indeed! Nice one there! Just advertise and see how many Chinese will flood Jambia, the dragon is almost bursting!