Eighteen ex-military personnel based in Chingola protested over delayed land allocation caused by Chingola Municipal Council contrary to a 2013 Presidential directive order.
The ex-service who expressed disappointed said Chingola Municipal Council has failed to implement the Presidential directive order for two years.
Ex-servicemen spokesperson Boniface Malambo said in 2013 the permanent secretary from the ministry of local Government and Housing Bernard Namachila wrote to all town clerks and council secretaries that they should secure settlement land for ex-servicemen.
Mr Malambo said the directive was from the late President Michael Chilufya Sata to ensure that men and women in uniform from the defence force be allocated suitable land for their settlement in retirement.
He said since then the Chingola Municipal Council has not secured land for military personnel, but issued land to civilians and left out ex-servicemen contrary to Presidential directive order.
Mr Malambo said the list for Chingola district comprised eighteen ex-servicemen personnel presented to Chingola Municipal Council was manipulated in which nine ex-military personnel waere removed and replaced by high rank officials who are still in service.
He said six high ranking military personnel were included on the list contrary to Presidential directive order that only ex-military personnel were eligible to be given land.
“We are concerned with the high level of corruption that is prevailing at the Chingola Municipal Council.Clearly the Town clerk George Mulenga has failed us by failing to comply with the lawful directive from the office of the President” Mr Malambo said.
Mr Malambo said evidence of corruption is visible in that none of the retired military personnel’s names had been included on the list which Chingola Municipal Council has.
“We are appealing to the Ant-Corruption Commission to investigate and bring to book all the culprits that have caused this matter to drag on for three years” Mr Malambo said.
He also said the group of ex-servicemen will not sit idol but said should the Chingola Municipal Council fail to them plots within 24 hours they will take the matter to Lusaka and see the President Edgar Changwa Lungu to inform him about the indiscipline and corruption that is prevailing in Chingola Municipal Council.
“As ex-servicemen we are not begging for land but just claiming for entitlement” Mr Malambo said.
Chingola Municipal Council Public Relations Manager George Sichimba acknowledged the Presidential directive order which was circulated in all council to allocate land for ex-servicemen.
Mr Sichimba said for Chingola district the council had no list of approved names that should get plots despite receiving several lists which were not approved.
He said the council has since engaged major Hambula to help verifications of names for the ex-servicemen.
“I beg the ex-servicemen to be calm we are just verifying the list and very soon plots will allocated to them”, Mr Sichilimba said.
Yaaaba these PF, hope they will not send Kaizer and Davies Chama to go and shoot in the air.
When people cry for the constitution as the instrument of Rule of law, you call them names. Living on Presidential directives, is not a best solution much as we appreciate the entitlement of the service men as well as other men and women who have contributed to the development of Mother Zambia. Zambia needs a clear road map on such issues as entitlements, and other benifits for every citizen, in accordance to their social status… By the way, how were the other ex- service men, in the history of Zambia, living before Sata’s directive?
GIVE THEM LAND IMWE BA KOLWE THIS PEOPLE LABORED TO PROTECT YOUR BELLIES
When you in employment learn to invest…don’t cry about directives,coz those are political thing. You are no special from other ordinary Zambians just apply using the normal procedure stated by the law…am and yakutupa what did u do for this country for you to be offered land in a special way, in the end you accuse the same TC to be corrupt if he is not following the law. You think staying at the barracks the all day nd drinking,gives you an entitlement to land. Foolish ex service man who don’t invest suffer like u are doing right now.
When you in are employment learn to invest…don’t cry about directives,coz those are political thing. You are no special from other ordinary Zambians just apply using the normal procedure stated by the law…amano yakutupa what did u do for this country for you to be offered land in a special way, in the end you accuse the same TC to be corrupt if he is not following the law. You think staying at the barracks the all day nd drinking,gives you an entitlement to land. Foolish ex service man who don’t invest suffer like u are doing right now.