CHIEF government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili has directed Solwezi town clerk Venture Kafula to convene a council meeting to revise land fees.
Mr Kambwili said it is unfortunate that local authorities have turned land allocation into a source of income and are charging unreasonable fees in service charges and plot premium.
Mr Kambwili, who is Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said Cabinet may be forced to fix land fees if councils prove to be inconsiderate.
He said it is Government’s desire to see both the rich and poor own land, but that the exorbitant fees being charged by councils are a hindrance.
Mr Kambwili said this on Wednesday in response to callers who expressed concern at the high land fees during a live phone-in programme on North-West Television.
Some callers said Solwezi Municipal Council is charging K5,000 for medium plots and K9,000 for high-cost plots.
And on the same programme, Mr Kambwili said he will propose to the Ministry of Finance to waive, for a year, import duty on radio and television transmission equipment and cameras in next year’s budget.
He said this will help build capacity of television and radio stations in the country. Mr Kambwili is in North-Western Province in his continued tour of media houses across the country.
Mr Kambwili says President Lungu has performed extremely well in the three months he has been in office.
Mr Kambwili, who is Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said President Lungu means well for Zambians and must be given a chance to deliver.
The minister also said President Lungu will be the PF candidate in next year’s general elections and that no one should challenge him to allow him to serve his two full terms in office.
“His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has performed very well to the satisfaction of PF members and the Zambian people in the few months he has been in office and he must be given a chance to prove himself,” Mr Kambwili said.
He was speaking when he featured on a live programme on Radio Kabangabanga in Solwezi on Wednesday.
Mr Kambwili said the PF wants to build a strong and united party and urged members to bury their differences that arose prior to the January 20 presidential election.
He also urged members to embrace newcomers to grow the party.
“I want to appeal to all PF members that we must embrace new members that are coming because politics is about numbers, but I also want to urge those that are joining PF to respect those that they have found,” Mr Kambwili said.
Mr Kambwili, who is also chief government spokesperson, said President Lungu has a heart for the people of North-Western Province and he is determined to develop the region.
Sadly the Minister makes general ambiguous statements like a komboni cadre: “presido Lungu has performed extremely well to satisfaction of Zambians; he has a heart for people of north-western prov. and he wants to develop the province.” A senior minister should be able to make specific references and avoid general statements of cadre calibre.
Last time I checked Ministry of Lands had its own Minister. This guy is now behaving like a Minister without portfolio! Review of land fees, is it Cabinet position? or just this man wants to buy lots of land?
@ole he also is Minister of Local Government!
Minister of Local Government is Mr. Phiri iwe MB, where do you get your info?
bangwele tamulala pali action man tiger kambwili.take it or leave it uyu ena ni presido material…. am starting to like this dude of a tiger
ulishilu like him
I suport Hon Kambwili, most councils in Zambia are charging very exorbitant fees which are beyond the reach of our people . I wonder what the minister of local govt is doing about it. Please, please Hon kambwili come over to Ikelenge District, we are being exploited here. This is a newly created District in rural zambia and already plots are very expensive. Plots here are costing between K4,000 and K6,000 please Hon Kambwili come and have a talk with our local council.
Hon Kabwili should be suported by all well meaning Zambians. To me he is the mouth for the poor Zambians who are being exploited when it comes to aquisition of land. I urge Hon kambwili to table this issue before cabinet so that they can come up with guide lines as to how much these councils should be charging. From what I can see its like most of these councils just come up with their own fees without consulting the ministry of local govt. For your own information plots in chipata are more expensive than in mongu western province. Plots in choma are more expensive than in kasama. Why should it be like that, this is explotation of man by man. I hope that this kind of varriation will be corrected once and for all.
It is sad that even when this fat says sense you still disparage him. Maybe you haven’t even read the article but just because of the ugly picture you rush to insults. Telling a book from it cover mentality.
Firstly, there is a Minister of Local Government so this fat slob is over-stepping his jurisdiction. Secondly, the government no longer funds the councils and so they have to find any way possible to make money. Thirdly, land going for K5000 to K9000 is peanuts. This is were we say that PF has dunderhead people whose only fear is not being voted back into office hence will always rush to make populist decisions to the detriment of major development. Case in point, the country is broke because of this empty-headed behaviour.
but if u can’t pay a K4000 for the of what kind of a house are you going to put up and for how long?
so you will come to the Council to ask for money to build? the same illiterates want Councils to control the standard of houses when we are allowing the poor to live in high cost areas.
Does this Degree holder from Nkana West minister care to research on how Councils hv bn stripped of income by central government?
Even the simplest fees like fire certificates and business levy have all been taken how does a local authority power the fire engine?
bangwele when your family will die in an inferno you will come to appreciate why councils need the same money.
you want cadres to get plots and sale exhobitantly? the same fellows speaking here against the charges will be the…