GOVERNMENT has reduced prices of houses previously owned by the defunct Kafue Textiles of Zambia (KTZ) from an average of K89,000 to K17,000 per house and the units will now be offered to the sitting tenants.
The 47 houses and flats ranging from one, two to three bedrooms were first evaluated in 1999 and pegged at K17,000 for the highest while K4,000 was for the lowest house.
Another evaluation was conducted in 2004, and the highest prices were at K89,000 with K39,000 being for the lowest.
But many tenants failed to buy the houses and in April 2015, the tenants wrote a letter of complaint to President Lungu, who has since directed that prices be reduced and houses offered to occupants.
Addressing the tenants yesterday, Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda said people should not doubt the development agenda of the Patriotic Front (PF) government.
“I am a bearer of a message from President Lungu, who is a listening person and he is committed to improving your livelihoods. We promised to do something for the people of Kafue, of course, we cannot bring back KTZ to life because a lot of things went under the bridge,”
“But we have revamped Nitrogen Chemicals and we no longer import D compound fertiliser and once we commission the ammonium nitrate plant, we will also stop importing Urea, thereby creating jobs and saving a lot of money,” he said.
Mr Chikwanda said the gesture should not be seen as a political move but should be taken as a responsibility of a listening and caring Government.
“We have reverted to using the 1999 evaluation of K17,000 for the highest price and K4,000 for the lowest. Occupants will be given time to find resources to pay for the houses. I am in charge of the treasury, so this development is not in the budget, it will not add or subtract anything, and it is purely out of compassion and not a political move.”
“Those offered the houses are from different cultural backgrounds and some belong to different political groupings, so this gesture is not political. Our role as Government is to improve people’s livelihoods and we won’t go backwards on this undertaking,” he said.
Lusaka Province permanent secretary Stardy Mwale said Government will continue bringing development to Kafue and various programmes have been lined up.
And KTZ housing community vice chairperson Bessie Mukamba said the gesture by President Lungu and his Government to consider the price reduction is a great sense of compassion and kindness.
“The price offered to us were highly prohibitive since none of us has been in gainful employment from the time the plant was shut down. We thank the President for looking at our vulnerability and considered our concerns,” she said.
Politics at best. August 11th sending shivers kwena
It’s too late ba-swine. You can’t have my vote for that.
It’s reminds me of a country song “desperately, loving you desperately oooh I love you desperately” Get the house BUT still vote wisely. If these people get another term Zimbabwe will look like a child’s picnic
PF campaigning ahead of dissolution of parliament.
Zambia is a defacto one party state
and a confirmed failed state.
You have failed to pay contractors on school projects,what are you saying- HH is the only answer.
Bantu were not paid since the plant shut down?!? Who is to blame for it’s shutdown? Now they want to look good by selling the houses to the sitting tenants. Question: were Bantu given their terminal benefits? If not, let them have the houses for free.
Mr. Chikwanda, as long as in head you see tribal and politics, the entire gesture is therefore political. Why mention something that hasn’t crossed your mind. In any case these are state assets you are giving out like personal freebies. You should have been the first person to advise Lungu that state assets cannot be offloaded at below market value, but again politic goes beyond financial discipline. I CRY FOR ZAMBIA AND AFRICA AT LARGE.
Here we go again ..selling off assets for votes!…same mistakes over again!!
Pipo are not fair something best happens for them ati nimapolitics….please help the pipo of Kafue the economy here is collapsed… For sure it’s a listening GRZ.. viva ECL..