Friday, March 29, 2024

Lake Tanganyika Island should not have been sold to a private citizen-Freedom Sikazwe

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Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe
Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe

Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe has written to the Commissioner of Lands to consider revoking the title deed for a private citizen who has bought an island on Lake Tanganyika.

Mr. Sikazwe says the over one thousand people that live on the Island were not aware that their village has been given out to an individual.

He told ZNBC news that the community only discovered the island belonged to an individual when a contractor engaged by government to build a school was turned away by the owner of the land.

Mr. Sikazwe who is Mpulungu Member of Parliament said the community has now petitioned him demanding answers on how a title deed was given to an individual without the knowledge of the villagers.

He said what is comforting is that the Ministry of Lands has assured him that something will be done to address the problem.

Mr. Sikazwe said the island on Lake Tanganyika should be for every Zambian and not individuals because they are part of national heritage.

81 COMMENTS

  1. The Kaponya policies are slowly striking back for this Government-land and street vending.

    If one of your Ministry signed off on the title deed and then you turn around and say , oh no, that should not have happened. As citizens, should we really have confidence in that ministry? Are due diligence processes in place in that Ministry? If they are, were they followed? This is what is adding to the perceived corruption people are talking about in the Ministry of lands and the lady at the top there. You sell an island were people are living and they are not even aware.

    Obviously another wing of Govt that was planning for a school and even went to build a school was not aware. This is the secrecy and corruption in selling natural resources people are talking about. Can the Lady at…

    • Can the Lady at lands explain this and what she means by we will sort it out. You just can’t say the problem will be solved. As the public we need to know why this was allowed and why it happened and who authorized it and what justifications was used. There are probably many other cases like these

    • I thought Government stopped selling islands during Chiluba’s tenure. This happened after a similar scandal in Siavonga where an island was sold to Dipak. Check properly that law still exist.

    • ECL, you are letting me down … a 99 year leasehold tenure, Yes! An outright purchase with fee simple title, No!!!

      This is not the Caribbean … these are national treasures for all the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise.

      Do you want to keep your job or not? Remember, we run this country and we can easily replace you with someone else.

      Too many blunders lately, what’s going on????? Zambia Is Greater Than Any Single One Of Us ~ B R Mumba, Sr

    • The people of Zambia regardless of Political affiliation need to wake up and do something. The days of KK,FTJ,Sata and Mwanawasa are long gone. Zambia is in so much debt, a govt full of educated individuals spend 42 million on fire trucks, you have 3 International modern airports in a land that can be covered by air within 2 hours. Its a big shame!

    • What a corrupt bunch of fooools…if the govt doesnt even know what is private land as its simply givng away everything what chance have we got!!

    • But Zambia is a Dirty country, lets be honest. South Africa public toilets and workshops are cleaner than most Zambian offices, kitchens and living rooms!!!!

    • It’s hard to tell when Zambians will fully understand that PF is a total disaster that should never have been allowed anywhere near power. One day they will wake up to discover their country has been sold off to Chinese, Indians or some other shady aliens. The greatest sin against themselves Zambians committed was to deliberately, in cold blood, knowing very well before hand that the chap they are electing for the post of president is a convicted common thief. I mean the kind of cheap thief who would walk into Shoprite and pinch a chocolate or some sweets, that’s lungu, but that’s who they insisted must be their leader. So it’s not shocking to read about unbelievable but true stories like the one above.

    • As long as ECL doesn’t take visible steps to contain this disease called corruption, this disease will soon or later “k.il.l ” him and barry PF altogether.
      With the HK problem dying off, ECL ought to seize this as an opportunity that he is in control.

    • This is absolutely disgusting. How do you sell an island that’s already occupied? And without even warning the residents of the island? This is criminal. Whoever sold this occupied island to a private individual needs to be arrested and prosecuted. You can only sell an island if it’s unoccupied. With this kind of criminal behavior, one day Zambians will wake up only to find that someone has sold the country away, and that everybody needs to get out of the country. Stop harassing poor people, you corrupt leaders. Give this private buyer their money back. This is madness.

  2. The Minister of Lands, Commissioner of Lands and Surveyor General are all guilty of this economic crime. They certainly approved signed and issued the title deeds. You mean the Head of State who is custodian of all land was not aware? If not, how much land has been sold out without his knowledge of that of his Special Branch? PIO and DIO where are you folks to keep No. 1 in the dark till now? This development is sad and unacceptable. Please reverse it now and get the criminals arrested with proceeds frozen to set an example. It is an act of dangerous greed the country should guard against.

    • Ba Senior fimo fimo, this among other things is what caused Kalaba to resign and you where busy pouring scorn on his resignation.

    • Let us as citizens continue offering checks and balances. We have no credible opposition to do it for us.

      Senior Citizen, kudos to you.

      We are Zambians first before any other affiliation.

    • You will continue to get surprised for as long as you continue to suppress those who are talking about rampant corruption. It’s so Easy
      It doesn’t matter whether this land was sold before or during the PF ruling period. What is important is to flush out corruption, whether PF or UPND is involved. PF should not be allergic to Corruption calls if they (PF Government) are clean, instead should encourage people to do so. We have heard how PF is going to fight corruption, but those calls remain headlines in the media without actions.
      Do not suppress whistle blowers, then one day you will receive wake up call with cases involving big fish

    • Freedom do not play ping-pong here tell the Zambian people THE NAME OF THE ISLAND, THIS INDIVIDUAL, THE EXTENT OF LAND, THE TITLE DEED NUMBER, WHEN THIS TITLE DEED WAS ISSUED ETC My conclusion is that you are hiding something or you are an accomplice to this whole saga and scandal.
      If it is crocodile-island then Griver Sikasote, Sub Chief Zombe and you yourself are very involved as this is very related to the murder of the late Senior Chief Tafuna (Chissim Sikazwe formerly Senior Chief Mukupa Kaoma)
      Can the Office of the President -Special Division at Mpulungu assist in this whole matter before further lives are lost here please.
      Hon. Jean Kapata, you have moved onto Chongwe District please move here as well!
      If nothing happens WE THE PEOPLE will ensure our birth right is preserved…

  3. This is why Harry Kalaba left.

    We have some bad seeds in this administration.

    Mr President please weed out the rot!

    • I would like to urge our OP to investigate the State House title deeds.

      Corruption is so rampant that the Registrar could have sold State House without the President’s knowledge.

      I strongly believe someone is out to sabotage the President’s name and that of our party. Could it be Jean the Baptist?

      Someone is actively working against us Mr President. Like BR Mumba Senior said, so many mistakes of late! These mistakes can make us lose popularity

    • I am happy to see that our staunch Senior Citizen has spoken out objectively on this matter.

      How can the Grand Custodian of our land not be aware of such transactions? What else is he unaware of?

      Can the Commissioner be fired immediately? This is unacceptable economic sabotage!

    • Most of these office bearers continue to plunder and blunder with impunity because they have never had an example made out of them.

      Dismiss the culprits. Arrest them thereafter.

      It shouldn’t take a revolution to weed out corruption.

    • Spaka and ERB, the President means well. It’s the people around him that are bad. He holds the Instruments of Power to stop all the rot. Exercise patience. We will soon see positive change.

      You can call him a corrupt thief everyday, those are mere accusations by your clique. But we in PF, at least we are objective and we call out wrongs when we see them. But you and your Jembere Akainde, you embrace defecting thieves and you pray to Akainde like he’s a saint when he is in fact the Anti Christ.

    • Kudos..

      If the president sees nothing wrong with being labels a corrupt theif…….then there must be truth to it……the president is supposed to be of high integrity not this lungu who over sees the worst corruption ever seen ………belive me , lungu is the only leader in the world who does not see anything wrong with being labled a corrupt theif…….and now many have come to that conclusion…..

    • What do youu expect, PF president Edgar Lungu is still clinging on to the ministerial house he occupied when he was a minister under late Michael Sata.
      Despite occupying state House, Lungu has refused to surrender the ministerial house which is located just behind state house. This means that Lungu is accommodated twice by government.
      People close to Lungu and sources in government have confirmed that Lungu is keeping some of his relatives and friends from Chawama in the house that is supposed to be occupied by a minister. Meanwhile, government is renting other properties for ministers due to shortage of ministerial houses.
      But that is Lungu. He has problems with following the law or regulations.

    • If he is firing or forcing to resign those people who are trying to open his eyes to rampant corruption then, i wonder why PF is getting surprised and shocked.

  4. revoke and arrest the buyer . after jail sentence deport him.

    sparka lilo is quiete over such such matter and jj . maybe there are at quarantine center

  5. President Edgar Lungu must not just seat and watch how civil servants are destroying our country.culprits must lose their jobs.The ministry of Lands and Home Affairs are the worst in terms of corruption.When Barnaby Mulenga was commissioner of labds ,he did a lot dirt works which president Lungu must correct.the said title deed must be revoked today and all those who wete involved from lands fired.WHY ARE THESE MINISTERS AND ECL ALLOWING CIVIL SERVANTS TO DESTROY THE IMAGE OF PF?a lot of young graduates who can do proper a job are looming the streets,so just fire all those old corrupt directors in ministries with poor education from nipa so that youths who even voted for PF can get those jobs and correct things!!THE SYSTEM CANT CONTINUE LIKE THIS.OUR LEADERS MUST WAKE UP AND GET RID OF…

    • Hehehehehe ati why is ECL allowing…..

      Lungu is the one leading the corruption imwe ba koswe………lungu is covered in corruption and the people around him know that, they have him at ransom also now the whole civil service has realised that lungu is very corrupt so they too can steal…..

    • @Njimbu,…don’t be so naive. Obviously Lungu is aware that these corrupt people know he’s corrupt too. How has he gotten so rich himself since 2015? You think he’s the only saint in this corrupt system? No way. He’s quiet for a reason. You party members, why don’t you march on State House and demand he acts on corruption? Come on. Go ahead and then see if he’ll lift a finger to address corruption. Nope. But we the Zambian people will stand up to these thieves. This country belongs to all of us Zambians, and we’ll not let some cheap, ill-educated, corrupt politicians to destroy our country.

  6. “He told ZNBC news that the community only discovered the island belonged to an individual when a contractor engaged by government to build a school was turned away by the owner of the land”….and the government just wanted to start building without checking the lands status? How different is that from an illegal squattor who just finds land and starts erecting chi shaka shaka? smh.. If the private person legally bought the item..well..

  7. Whose finger is on this pie called Zambia?? I mean it seems like everyone is doing whatever they like and the people we have employed in public office are either incompetent,corrupt or just dont care! How can the same government be planning to construct a school on land the same government has sold?? What really goes on in those cabinet meetings if not to discuss Zambia’s policies and direction! When people under you are doing things with no regard to you as their leader, thats a vote of NO confidence right there. Thats evidence enough that even your shushushus are all working against you!

    • I agree with you FDD, some powerful characters are working hard against our President. We need to root them out before the whole system collapses.

    • The sooner some of you realise lungu is held at ransom by some people because they know he is corruption numero uno….the easier life you will have…..lungu is qweiete because he is covered in corruption himself….

    • But you can not root out some “powerful characters” when the President is forcing to resign the very people who are trying to help him open his eyes.
      It goes against the genuine logic

  8. Amazing. Surely such a big property can be sold without the government knowing? We are firing and threatening to expel people from the party who are speaking against corruption. Why? I hope Freedom will also not be fired for bringing this to light.

    • He can not be fired….there is no accountability in PF , you only get fired if you have presidential ambitions or raise concerns on corruption…….sikazwe had to speak now because the mast and watch dog were digging into this scandal…

  9. HaJay Jay has been intercepted by the Ministry of Health after showing symptoms of verbal diarrhea.

    He is quarantined in Chilanga UPND hospital.

    He was found with to have an infected Lazy Bum which is releasing contaminated feacal water.

  10. Its sad to note that during Mwanawasa tenure corruption seemed to be a serious crime observed by all as but during Banda now Lungu its doubled and multiplied respectively what is going on….how on earth do our own poor people find themselves landless and homeless…this is sad irrespective of political affiliation..

    • Are you sure? Apart from persecuting Chiluba and his Luapula Mafia can you point out which other corruption Levy fought? Henry Kapoko stole billions under Levys nose and was only discovered during Rupiah’s tenure. Please be factual.

    • During PLM time there was sanity in the civil service……the fight against corruption had impetus and energy……

    • Spaka like lilo – Be factual, blanket statements about LPM’s fight against corruption wont do. Ndanje has challenged you – respond. Who grabbed UNZA land and was forced to give back part of it? Who built a family forest including encroaching State House?

    • abilima

      At least you admit PLM gave back UNZA and…..then again who would dare call PLW a corrupt theif like lungu ?? Nobody would dare….as I say At least there was a corruption fight.

    • #Spaka….sanity in Levys time? Maybe you’re privileged somehow but some of us had difficulties with the civil service. One example is this relative of Levy who was elevated to DEBs straight from a primary school teacher. His name starts with N. The guy was arrogant and a real show off.

    • @Ndanje,
      Are you the one who talked about a Tonga who was promoted in the mines where you were working, leaving you out, making that the key reason you hate Tongas?. Now you are in Civil Service, and still, Mwanawasa promoted his relative leaving you out. And still, you complain that Civil Service in Zambia is full of Tongas.
      Wherever you go, it seems, someone jumps and you are left out.

      It tells something about you….., I don’t want to judge you, but there is some parallel here to think about.

    • I never worked for the government but I mingle with a lot of civil servants and I study their behavior. I got what I have through merit and am happy with a clear mind.

  11. @kudos the situation is very precarious in that the civil service is full of Upnd sympathyzers. If anyone one is going to I advise them to visit one tennis club on the copperbelt. Here people boast openly how they can not work for Lungu. They go for lunch around 11hrs and report back 1hr before knock off time.

    • That is very unfortunate Khakis. Only a strong spirit of Patriotism can win against this evil scourge.

      Nation before self.

    • You talk of 6.5 against 3.5, corruption is mainly cooked in areas like Lusaka which is your stronghold, how dare you blame the other party?
      @Ndanje, on one hand, you say you are just PF sympathizers and you have no political affiliation, on the other hand, you are busy circulating false information implicating the opposition. That is not right!!
      The major problem with PF is it’s not taking responsibility. You are a ruling party. You control almost everything controlling mechanism in the government. You have all the government machinery to use to fight corruption. YET you are busy yeaning and blaming the opposition. I find this hard to accept, and when we point out on this you point fingers that we are UPND. Ma rubbish chabe.

    • I never worked for the government but I mingle with a lot of civil servants and I study their behavior. I got what I have through merit and am happy with a clear mind.

  12. When you have a leader covered in corruption , he becomes powerless in the face of corruption……this is the situation we have today in Zambia.

    Lungu is mute on corruption by choice , he knows why everyday he is called a corrupt theif and does not deny it……

    We will be vindicated soon….

    Spaka….most influential blogger 2017..

    • But busy giving lousy warnings and firing people who are trying to help him open his eyes.
      You can see even from these PF Vuvuzelas, one day they put up a petition against their ECL acknowledging rampant corruption, the next day, they are busy blaming it all on the opposition.
      Bizare suggestions that Civil Service is full of opposition, hence corruption, is just irresponsible like the very ECL government.

      Characteristic of our government: Takes no responsibility, all blame on the opposition, or take no action.kolopa under the carpet.

  13. Whaaaaat!Allocating an island to an individual??Let the commissioner of lands quickly act on this unfair decision and cancel it.What do we take our country for?

  14. “Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.”
    Karl Kraus

  15. FUNDE CHINYELELE WEMAYO NACHIMBUSA, UMUNAN’GU WALI IFUNDA KALE
    This shows you the caliber of ministers ECL has surrounded himself with. Hon Freedom Sikazwe being a Vuvuzela and boot licker that he is, was totally wrong to make those statements about the island on lake Tanganyika, when he was appeasing the poor electorate of Mpulungu.
    Hon Sikazwe is minister of Presidential Affairs, whatever that post means. He is in the inner cabinet next to ECL himself, why couldn’t he just make a quick check with his counter parts at Lands, instead of publicly blasting a government which he is part and parcel of?
    Everybody knows that there is an explanation as to whether this island on Lake Tanganyika was sold or not. Very very shortly an answer will come out and our Vuvuzela Hon Sikazwe will…

  16. Very very shortly an answer will come out and our Vuvuzela Hon Sikazwe will look even more foolish. Most Zambians continue to wonder what contribution Hon Sikazwe ever makes in ECL’s cabinet, I can bet my last Kwacha it is zero, zilch. Ala twalisebana muno Zambia.

  17. How is that the member of parliament did not know about this sale of land? Hon Jean Kapata and the Commissioner of Lands better explain this quickly. This is how they have given away Chimbokaila and NRDC land. These people are crooks. I won’t be surprised if it’s a Chinaman.

    • Everything is for sale to the highest bidder in Zambia under lungu……just pay lungu and his gang and you can buy anything…..next it will be game parks, that is all that is left to sell…….land around vic falls has been sold to a chinaman……veheacle licensing has been sold to the Lebanese……

  18. A very potent Piece on the significance of land for a sovereign People by General Miyanda some 2 years ago was scoffed-off by most, when I said MCS election was Zambia’s 9-11 most laughed…yes, the chickens are home to roost, this country is ready for the bonfire !!

  19. Zambia is going backwards indeed. The dirt in Lusaka is unbearable. It was so much better in the times of Mwanawasa. Even Malawi is doing better nowadays

    • Even South Sudan dominated by wars is better than Zambia. 3rd Hungriest country !!!
      That is not a good image for my beloved country. Now people are selling land without accountability. nothing works without “corrupting” someone. And our very leaders instead of taking the challenge to flush out the evil, they are busy defending corruption.

  20. That’s the outcome you get for putting people in high offices who only read corruption 101 books. While waiting for the next acclaimed publisher of how to be the best corrupt person, the next thing big thing they do best is sleep. When they wake up and see a brown envelop with a note sign here, viola, they do exactly that.

    My fellow Zambians, wake up and support Chipimo before the white collar thugs sell the country to the highest bidder and the people into slavery.

  21. Yaba everything is being sold/stolen by the PF. If ever upnd will rule to power, there will be nothing for hh and friends to put in their offshore accounts. kkkkkkkkkk

  22. You were warned before you voted for lungu, no need to mourn. Corruption’s commander in chief’, is the very one you are pleading to act, you think he will fire himself? It is Good that the blind followers are coming to their senses. Corruption that was hidden will come to light until it is like day time, to silence the likes of senior citizen, Njimbu, kudos and the other corruption supporters.

  23. The issuing of Title Deeds to a Zambian island may soon be followed up by giving Title Deeds to a District. The Lake Tanganyika Island saga must be corrected as soon as possible.

  24. Zambia has too few islands as a land locked country to allow them to fall into the hands of individuals; especially non indigineous people like deepak patel-he acquired it through corruption for next to nothing and unlike a muzungu who adds value and gives something tangible to the locals-this patel island is now a dirty kamwala surrounded by water. Zambia is underseige by unscupulous foreigners, senegalese and indians in emeralds, lebanese, nigerians, liberians, somalians, indians, tanzanians in the drugs trade, indians and nigerians money laundering, chinese poaching and timber, jews, indians, and chinese, copper, ethiopians, indians, somalians, human trafficking, indians, nigerians, gold.

  25. HerZaluza HerGain will NEVER be president in Zambi! No matter how his cronies stretch him! He will always be Under Five!

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