Friday, March 29, 2024

Giving one Developer huge track of Land bigger than Lusaka Shocks President Lungu

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President Edgar Lungu chats with Chief Nkana at State House. 15 Lamba Lima Chiefs held meeting with the Head state,They were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu chats with Chief Nkana at State House. 15 Lamba Lima Chiefs held meeting with the Head state,They were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has said that he will not allow a developer who has acquired huge tracts of land covering three chiefdoms in Lufwanyama district on the Copperbelt to displace local people.

The President said that he was shocked to learn that the land, which could be bigger than Lusaka, has been given to one developer who is now threatening to evict people in Lufwanyama.

President Lungu has described the development as a big scandal which Government has to deal with to protect the people from eviction.

The head of State said this when he met Lamba chiefs from the Copperbelt at State House yesterday.

This is according to the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) news monitored in Lusaka last night.

President Lungu has assured the people of Lufwanyama that Government will support them and ensure that they are not evicted.

Meanwhile . President Lungu has assured chiefs countrywide that the proposed national land policy will not come into effect unless it upholds their aspirations.

Mr Lungu said the proposed land policy, which he only came to know about on Wednesday and is not yet before Cabinet, could not be approved without a thorough consultative process.

The proposed land policy will limit the powers of chiefs on customary land allocation with the major concern of the traditional leaders being increased cases of illegal land allocation.

“I saw this proposed national policy on land yesterday (Wednesday) but let me assure you that it is not yet in effect and has not even been brought to the attention of Cabinet.

“It is just a proposal by the ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, but it must be interrogated and if we are not satisfied with its provisions, we will discard it,” he said.

The Head of State was speaking at State House in Lusaka yesterday when he met with 15 Lamba traditional leaders from the Copperbelt Province.

Justice Minister Ngosa Simbyakula, Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Joseph Katema, their Copperbelt counterpart Mwenya Musenge and State House officials were present during the meeting.

Mr Lungu said he was aware that the Zambia Land Alliance was among civil society organisations championing the new policy on the premise that it had worked well in other countries on the continent.

He, however, said Zambia would not adopt any laws on the basis of comparison with other countries.

The President asked Dr Simbyakula to issue a statement on the matter after he noted that the amended Constitution would give chiefs a say on matters of land in their regions.

Dr Simbyakula reassured the traditional leaders that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was a listening administration which would ensure that every implemented policy upheld the interests of Zambians.

He was also happy that there were minimal cases of succession wrangles in the Lambaland, and urged the traditional leaders to continue upholding peace in their chiefdoms.

He said development projects would be rolled out to all the chiefdoms so that people could benefit regardless of their status.

“We have incorporated the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to open up roads and although all this cannot be done overnight due to resource constraints, it shall be achieved,” Mr Lungu said.

He directed Mr Musenge to ensure that the ZNS units in the province executed the works in good time for the areas to attract development.

Senior Chief Chiwala, who spoke on behalf of the traditional leaders, assured the Head of State of continued support towards the Government’s development agenda.

After the meeting, President Lungu had lunch with the chiefs.

Apart from Senior Chief Chiwala, other traditional leaders in attendance were senior chiefs Mushili and Ndubeni, who sent a representative, and chieftainesses Shimukunami and Malembeka.

Other chiefs were Nkambo, Kalunkumya, Lesa, Machiya, Mwinuna, Nkana, Lumpuma, Mukutuma, Shibuchinga and Fungulwe.

President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.
President Edgar Lungu on thursday held Meeting with 15 Copperbelt Lamba- Lima Chiefs at State House they were lead by Senior Chief Chiwala and Senior Mushili- Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/State house 24-12-2015.

48 COMMENTS

  1. What a chaos government, how did the developer obtain such huge land, and yet the President has no clue. Isn`t it supposed to be approved by the Zambian Cabinet?

    • Possibly corruption my friend; and I hope you won’t come back with a mythical claim that if your preferred political party were to form government they’d exterminate corruption!

    • Lets be very careful with the sensitive issue of land allocation. In the name of foreign investment drive, we risk being left with a shell of a country with landless natives where all fertile arable land is but all given away to foreigners. What is happening is a recipe for recolonization and serious civil strife. Land distribution needs a serious oversight of a board of legal, development, and security experts with traditional leadership involved. The OOP (SD)’s internal security office D1 should be directly and actively be the authentic adjudicator of the land board approvals process and decision. I fear for my country on this sensitive issue. Lets do serious land audit now and create a temper free Database.

    • This just confirms what we already know, that this president, Edgar Lungu doesn’t know anything, is clueless without a vision. How can a president not know that one developer is acquiring such big piece of land? Why didn’t the Minister of lands inform president? We are not talking about an acre of land but thousands of hectares…..

    • My friend such land is given under customary law by chiefs. In short it falls under customary land. Ala its not always that the President is wrong bane.

    • Sata curved himself a huge piece land in Muchinga province and no one talked. Now that this developer has done it with the blessing of no other than the corrupt PF officials it has become a talking point to win votes.

      People never learn at all. How many promises has Lungu ‘s administration achieved since he became president? Zero. I understand that it takes time to turn things around. At least some signs for the better would have started showing if Lungu was a serious and thoughtful leader. Unfortunately only signs for the worst to come is what has defined Lungu’s presidency. Lungu has denied the people all forms of freedom.

      PF ni ba chimbwi chabe.

      Only UPND can save Zambia from this PF caused calamity.

      2016 vote UPND.

    • It’s no different from what HH has done in southern province. As we are talking right now, HH is in dispute with land owners. He has grabbed land from villagers because he needs it for his herd of vows. He has not even attempted to compensate these poor people. These poor are being displaced with no where to go. Already his cows are grazing in their fields right now.

      And how did he get this land? Through customery and corrupting local chiefs at the expense of poor people.

      By the way, HH should even attempt to make political capital on this subject. He has been ruthless ti his own people in Southern Province.

    • “… The proposed land policy will limit the powers of chiefs on customary land allocation …” It is deja vu once again, the scramble for Zambia has began again. If these chiefs had foresight in their initial negotiations with Cecil Rhodes, all the mineral rights would have made all of them billionaires by now considering how much wealth the Copperbelt has generated since 1907.

  2. In this day and age, how can an individual be given land bigger than Lusaka? Where does it leave ordinary Zambians who are looking for land to farm? This whole deal has corruption written all over it and the people who where intrumental in this should be fired.

    • how do you fire a chief?
      that land was given out, under customary law by a chief, who never even attended that feast at state house for obvious reasons.

  3. Land issue is what is causing problems everywhere. Get part of the land and give it to the residents. But. Was it not PF who gave the developer the land or was it the MMD? What does the developer want to develop?

  4. What the corrupt Zambian officials selling us out with land forget is that God stopped making land a long time ago. In fact, some is being lost to sea with rising sea levels. How do you get a bribe that will not even last the 99-year lease you give off at the expense of the posterity of your children. Some things don’t even need rocket science but in Zambia it is like we keep employing imbeciles to discharge our national policies all the time. Utterly, utterly disgusting!!!! Merry Christmas everybody, if you can!

    • This is a shambolic reactive administration it can only see as far as the next election…all these things could be avoided with smart policies even load-shedding could have been foreseen as far back as 5 years ago.

  5. This article has diverted from the main heading. The writer either has little information on the matter. Who is that developer, when was he given that land by whom? That is a case of corruption tantamount to treason and this article should have given us the opportunity to have basics beyond just alarming. The author likes writing but he does not stick to the subject matter. What has lunch got to do in such a critical issue?

  6. Silly chaps are busy questioning how can the president not know about land allocated to one developer when they have actually heard it from him themselves. How myopic can upnd minions be really

  7. Silly chaps are busy questioning how can the president not know about land allocated to one developer when they have actually heard it from him themselves. How myopic can upnd minions be really.

    • Dear *****: Lungu only knew about this deal two days earlier. And his tone is one of shock as if he is not responsible for giving away land over 250 ha.

  8. Lungu and the Lamba Chiefs enjoy an enstranged relationship. This is silly and should be taken as turning the tables round where Lungu looks good in the eyes of Lamba people. It’s a lie but a political gimmick on his part.

  9. That’s what happen when people realised the president is clueless,visionless,brainless and useless they will also start doing anything and people of lufwanyama be careful because this agwa will just be told by the owner of the land that they will fund his 2016 election and he come back to you that he is relocating you and pretend to be helping and blame the people who sold the land.

  10. The cost of incompetence ; the President must approve any alienation of land area bigger than 250 hectares. It is only Lungu who does not know that! All these lootings of our national resources is happening under the existing laws and not the policy Lungu is worried about because that one is just an idea. Clearly the current land alienation rules do not work because the same chiefs can give away huge tracts of land for a few bottles of Jemason or a battered pickup.

  11. The president says he only saw proposed land policy on Wednesday? So policies are developed without presidents knowledge? It’s in black and white unless the report is wrong. PF cadres your take please since you always defend everything like we are talking about Jesus kanshi it’s just the top politician.

  12. The land in question 40000 ha & the developer is Global Industries Ltd. We as a people are to blame. God has given us so much & yet we are bickering over some toilet plots in Itawa, Kabulonga or Parklands. Let’s open our eyes & start thinking big. Foreigners are just taking advantage of our laziness. Gounassi is stealing our emeralds & what are we doing about it. Nothing but bickering.

  13. This makes very sad reading indeed! Otherwise a simple issue to sort out! Firstly by law traditional leaders are only allow to alienate land upto 250 ha! Anything beyond this needs presidential approval. This bigger than lusaka land was given by the same chiefs who was having that lunch at state house who should have been questioned! In any case all the president should do is revoke this allocation period coz title ordinarily should not been issued without his consent. Unless there is something we are not being told here?

  14. 40000 hact?? Bigger than Lusaka indeed inside that huge piece of land you find Gold,precious metals,copper ores etc and you sit back and zambian are poor people. Reminds me of slave trade days were a Chief was given a Mirror Only to see his face in exchange for his strong men to be taken up as slaves.

    • Lusaka City has an area of 360 square km, or 36000 hectares . This means that the area in question is bigger than the city of Lusaka. However, there are quite a number of investors who have even larger tracks of land in Zambia.

    • How can Lazy Lungu arrest people who put him in power…that’s wishful thinking given that he is also counting on CB to elect him back to power!!

  15. A sensitive matter that will need combined efforts to overcome. Guy scott when he was acting president passed a very truthful comment saying reports are indicating that their huge pieces of land being allocated to foreigners by CHIEFS without following correct procedure. He went on to try to even explain a clause in the constitution of Zambia on land and the president being the final authority. Its general knowledge that due to the current nature of our democracy in which some chiefs evidently portray a nature of not really respecting the HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND are very likely to engage in such. Its not a secrete that many would say a president is only there for 5-10 years but a chief will always be there. You do not need to be a brain surgeon to understand that many are giving away…

    • Continued…
      land to many foreigners. The ending of this cancer however will take an unpopular path of introducing laws that prohibit the allocation of land by traditional leaders looking at the caliber sometimes of the people who ascend to the thrones. But because we value the roles they play, we might as well put in very strong laws to ensure that such vices are cut completely. That will not start however with insulting the president but rather making mature recommendations and stating valid reasoning. He who rushes to insult or speak ill mostly exposes a high level of failing to hold emotions above proper reasoning, its very sad if such is even a ‘MAN’,it is the same us not having enough patience to chose the rotten BEANS FROM THAT WHICH IS OKAY BEFORE COOKING WHICH IS custom…

  16. When we tell you that this president is a LAZY BUM who is more clued up to what the dress code is for the next dinner dance than what is happening in his own land people think its an insult…the problem with Africans is that the don’t know how precious and priceless land is…no wonder the Chinese are buying land in urban areas and building multi-storey fortresses housing hundreds of illegal workers. They even advertise to buy your healthy dogs of you!

  17. This is grandstanding and playing to the gallery. Lamasat has been buying huge chunks of land right here in Lusaka without effect. There must be a limit to the size of land that can be purchased by a foreigner. This is the responsibility of the goverment of which Edgar Lungu is the administrative head that can put in place legal mechanisms to put a stop to this incomprensible and quite franking insane practise. This must be the only country in the world where it is easier for a foreigner to get land chunks of land than for an ordinary Zambia to get a small piece of land. Shame on you!!! This is classic case of a country where incompetence, reckless and corruption has gone right to its core. At Samsung Zambia, am told there are two children of a senior immigration official who have been…

    • That’s what happens when you don’t empower institutions…the whole system is flawed where you have a corrupt few corruptly auctioning off national resources for peanuts.

  18. At Samsung Zambia, am told there are two children of a senior immigration official who have been employed so that the immigration office can turn their eyes away from glaring case of violations on the number of expatraites that can be employed by a foreign company. Go to Samsung Zambia offices on great north road to confirm the two things: that two children of an immigration official are working for Samsung and that the senior management team is completely covered South Korea. And you call this a sovereign nation.

  19. BUT, THAT’S CORRUPTION ON THE PART OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THAT LAND ALLOCATION AND YOU HAVE SAID THERE WILL BE NO SACRIFICIAL LAMB WHEN IT COMES TO CORRUPTION. SO, NOW PROVE WHAT YOU TOLD US- ACT AND LET THE INVOLVED OFFICERS OR ANY PERSON INVOLVED BE AN EXAMPLE TO ALL TO-BE FRAUDSTERS. LET THE LAW DEAL WITH THEM STERNLY SO THAT NO ONE WOULD THINK OF FRAUD AND CORRUPTION ANYMORE. ZAMBIA, AGAIN IS BEING SOLD FOR A SONG AND YOU ARE JUST LOOKING. ACT, DON’T JUST TALK. IN FACT YOU SHOULD HAVE ACTED ALREADY AND JUST TOLD US WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CORRUPT AND FRAUDULENT CHAPS. JUST TELLING US YOU ARE SHOCKED ISN’T WHAT ZAMBIANS ARE EXPECTING. WE HAVE HEARD OF SUCH SHOCKS MANY A TIMES- THEY ARE JUST POLITICAL RHETORIC.

  20. FOR ME THAT’S OBSCENE AND JUST A SERIOUSLY BIG INSULT TO ZAMBIA WHO STRUGGLE IN VAIN TO GET JUST A SMALL PIECE OF LAND. YOU HAVE STOPPED GIVING ZAMBIANS ENOUGH LAND ON WHICH TO DO GENUINE PROJECTS BUT YOU CAN GIVE A FOREIGNER LAND SIZE OF MANY A COUNTRY IN OTHER LANDS- IT IS NOT A SHOCK TO YOU WHO DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY SIGN SUCH PAPERS. IT IS WE THE ORDINARY ZAMBIANS WHO SHOULD BE SHOCKED AS WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SIGNING OF SUCH PAPERS. IN FACT I AM PERSONALLY, SHOCKED AND SUCH ISN’T NEWS TO HEAR ON THIS DAY. PAUL BUPE HAS EVEN CITED A POEM ABOUT BA MUTAPE (search him on youtube) AND UBUPUBA BWESU FWEBENA ZAMBIA. STILL PEOPLE CAN’T LISTEN.

  21. What can Lungu the father of corruption do about this scandal! Who ever has bought this huge piece of land will just visit Chagwa at state house and that will be the end. He will be mute about it and it will be business as usual! This is the idi0t who promised the gullible miners that no one was going to lose a job as he was intervening! What has happened! Listen to Chagwa at your own peril!

  22. What can Lungu the father of corruption do about this scandal! Who ever has bought this huge piece of land will just visit Chagwa at state house and that will be the end. He will be mute about it and it will be business as usual! This is the idi0t who promised the gullible miners that no one was going to lose a job as he was intervening! What has happened! Listen to Chagwa at your own peril!!

  23. The president is part of this scandal. He is just pretending that he is not part of the scandal. Last year they attempted to sell one of Zambia’s largest sanctury of birds -Lower Zambezi National Park. PF is was voted into power to sell the country. Wake up Zambia and vote out PF so that it goes into oblivion.

  24. This developer must have a name and identity. Who is this developer and how did he acquire so much land? Who gave him so much land? Did he follow the correct procedure in acquiring the land?

  25. I have told you, the developer is Global Industries Ltd (one of the partners is Gourock) & the land is 40000 ha. I don’t blame the developer but us as a people. That land has been bush for many years. GIL has seen an opportunity to make money for themselves (& bring civilisation to the area) while we are sitting on our arses complaining. Stand up & do some work.

  26. To quote Archbishop Tutu…
    “When the White Man came to these shores
    He had the Bible, and we had the land
    Five years later….
    …He had the land, and we had the Bible.”

  27. Ba Speakwell.

    I believe this Tutu may merely have paraphrased Jomo Kenyatta to whom this quotation should be attributed.

    Jomo Kenyatta > Quotes > Quotable Quote
    “When the Missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the Missionaries had the Bible. They taught how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.”

    ? Jomo Kenyatta

    But in this instance the chiefs should bear culpability for this transaction as they are the custodians of tribal land. Just how may whiskys and lounge suites were traded for this land. Maybe a scholarship or two was bandied about. Why are we so cursed?

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