President Edgar Lungu has directed that a thorough investigation should be conducted into the Copperbelt illegal land acquisition and all houses built on illegally acquired land should be demolished across the country, Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe has revealed.

Mr Sikazwe said currently there was total confusion in the country over issuance of land. He said Government has observed that there was no law and order in the manner that the issuance of land was being managed in the country. “So we have since tasked the Ministry of Lands to ensure that they take stock of all the districts that are erring in the way they are issuing land.

“People have stopped going through the councils whenever they want land. People have lost hope in getting land from the council and now they want to be getting it dubiously through cadres and fake agents,” Mr Sikazwe said. He said there was urgent need to normalise the situation, adding that the right procedure was going to the Ministry of Lands or the Local Council to acquire land.

Mr Sikazwe said the only agents in the issuance of land recognised by the Government were the Ministry of Lands and Local Councils.

Mr Sikazwe said anybody who obtained land illegally and constructed any infrastructure would have their structures demolished and dealt with accordingly. “We are saddened that people are now building houses along the rivers making them to dry up. We are investigating and anybody who will be found wanting will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

Mr Sikazwe said the Ndola case was confusing because Government was being told it was the council that had given out land while others were saying it were the party cadres.

“So we are investigating and as soon as the correct information is given to us, then you will see the action that we are going to take. We have sent people to investigate and then move depending on the illegality,” Mr Sikazwe said.

He said Government had given powers to the councils as agents to ensure that they looked after the land and give out accordingly, adding that what was currently prevailing was very disturbing. He said the issue of people hiding in the name of the party and having supported the President during the general elections would not work out because President Lungu was not going to condone such.

Mr Sikazwe said the Minister of Lands Jean Kapata had also been directed by the President to issue a statement to guide on the way land would be managed. He said anybody who would be found wanting, the best Government could do to those illegalities would be dealing with the culprits accordingly.

“If we go out there to demolish some houses, it does not mean that we do not mean well for the people of Zambia. We mean well because we want people to follow the proper channels of acquiring land in this country. “Leaving things the way they are, will make it difficult to control the situation. It is high time the Government moved in,” Mr Sikazwe.

The University of Zambia (UNZA) Senate has with immediate effect reviewed and approved the 2016 sessional dates for 2016 academic year.

UNZA Public Relations and International Liaison Manager Damaseke Chibale said the postgraduate and distance students will commence their 2016 academic year on Monday 14th November 2016.

Mr. Chibale said in a statement made available to ZANIS today that the first year regular and parallel students will open on Monday 2nd January 2017 instead of the earlier scheduled date of Monday, 14th November 2016.

He disclosed that returning regular and parallel students will open on Sunday 8th January 2017.

“Additionally, the University Management would like to notify all students that online registration system will be opened on Monday, 21st November 2016 and close on Tuesday, 31st January 2017,” he said.

Mr. Chibale has since urged all students to start and complete their registration within the stated period.

PATRIOTIC FRONT PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDEMENTS

The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) is deeply concerned with the Patriotic Front (PF) proposed amendment of the Republican Constitution barely a few months after the enactment of the amended constitution.

NGOCC monitored the motion moved by PF Mwansabombwe Member of Parliament (MP), Honourable Rodgers Mwewa in Parliament on Wednesday via Parliament Radio. From the ensuing debates by Members of the August House, especially, the ruling party, it is crystal clear that the proposed amendments have nothing to do with people’s interests but based on personal, narrow and selfish interests by some of the Members from the ruling party.

It is unfortunate that the ruling party wants to amend the Constitution to remove popular clauses that were proposed for inclusion by the Zambians themselves, who are the owners of the document. As an organization and civil society in general, we believe that our position rejecting the piecemeal amendment of the Constitution was precisely to avoid some of the flaws that are now being witnessed. This further exemplifies the need for Zambia to embrace a wholesome people-driven process that would completely repeal and replace the current Constitution.

We note with concern mischievous attempts by the ruling party to now want to remove the majoritarian clause, requiring a winning Presidential candidate to get 50 percent plus 1 vote, from the Constitution so that the country reverts to the First Past the Post system. There is also clearly no understanding and appreciation of the need for separation of duties between the main legislation arm and the local governance system that now excludes Members of Parliament from the local councils.

In addition, we also have noticed further attempts to bring back the position of Deputy Ministers with no reference to the proposed structure of provincial assemblies and proportional electoral system that were set aside during the last Parliament sitting. In a period when the country is faced with serious cash-flow challenges, it is difficult to imagine a government that wants to pay a blind eye to a matter requiring magnanimity in the wake of rising cost of goods and services. It is also evidently clear that the added value of Deputy Ministers is almost nil given some of the experiences shared during the last government. We state herein that this is an unnecessary cost and is unacceptable.

Once again NGOCC wishes to reiterate that the Constitution belongs to the people of Zambia and not one political party alone and therefore, Zambians must be at the centre stage of giving unto themselves a Constitution that embodies the fundamental human rights and democratic principles as well as promotion of good governance.

NGOCC therefore calls upon all Parliamentarians to desist from this approach regarding further amendments to the Constitution and recommit to citizens aspirations by doing the rights thing. The Constitution making process is about Zambia and therefore must be driven as such by its people.

Issued;
For/NGOCC

SARA H. LONGWE
BOARD CHAIRPERSON

Eight witness yesterday testified in the Lusaka High Court in a matter in which four people have been accused of suspected ritual killings that rocked the city early this year.

The four suspected ritual killers who were arrested and charged with seven counts of murder have appeared before high court judge Florence Lengalenga.

Meanwhile ,39 witnesses are expected to testify in the matter involving the four.

And yesterday, the eight witnesses testified how their loved ones were brutally murdered by unknown people.

Boniface Chipoya has told the court how his nephew was murdered by unknown people in the early hours of 17th March in Lusaka’s Lilanda compound.

He said when asked to Identify the body of his nephew at UTH, he discovered that his private parts and ears where missing from his body while his testacies were intact.

And When asked during cross examinations to give evidence of who killed his nephew, Mr Chipoya could not Identify the killers.

Meanwhile, 47-year-old Faustina Zulu also testified how her son Alex Zulu was killed and his body dumped near a market in Lusaka’s George compound.

Ms Zulu told the court that when rushed to the market to check if truly the body discovered was that of her son, she saw his private parts and ear missing from his body.

Another witness, a teacher by profession told the court how his brother in law was killed with his heart and private parts removed completely.

And when asked by defence lawyers if he saw the killers, Mr Zechariah Sakapize said he could not Identify them as he was not present during the murder.

Meanwhile, Mr Joshua Mwaba of Mufulira has also told the court how he received a phone call only to be told his son has been murdered gruesomely by suspected ritual killers in Lusaka.

The four suspects who include two ZAF officers are Lucky Siame, Lewis Chishimba Bwalya, Christopher Kasapo and Elvis Nyanga.

They are accused of having killed seven people in gruesome ways in Lusaka early this year.

A ZAMBIAN, renowned for some landmark architectural works both in Zambia and South Africa has emerged 2016 second best architect in South Africa after being conferred with the honour by the South African Professional Services Awards (SAPSA) last week.

Mr. Kelly Kalumba, who has been practicing in South Africa, was selected second best from among two other finalists for the Professional of the year in the ‘Architecture Class of the Built Environment’ category at an awards presentation ceremony held at Monte Casino in Johannesburg on 3rd November, 2016. Mr. Kalumba reached the last three from more than 2, 500 nominees selected in March this year when the competition started.

The finalists, including Mr. Kalumba, where each presented with a framed and duly signed certificate and a custom made trophy.

The 46 year old has, since 2003, been Senior Partner at Louis Karol Architects in charge of the Johannesburg office taking care of projects on the continent, including the re-development of Society House on Lusaka’s Cairo road.

SAPSA seeks to recognise individuals and organisations that have excelled within the South African Professional Services Industry. 

The process undertaken to identify nominees, finalists and eventual winners started in March, 2016 with a call for nominees for the various individual and organisation awards directly to professional service firms as well as to the South African business community.

Awarding of companies was based on business growth, customer service, technical excellence, contribution to the community, contribution to the profession, transformation record and commitment to ethics and professionalism. 

The criteria for individual awards, to which Mr. Kalumba was subjected, included demonstration of management and leadership qualities, success of the units headed, innovation within the bounds of available resources, mentorship record, passion and drive, personal values, notable career achievements, concrete future objectives, embracing lessons from challenges, breaking of new ground, taking of risks and changing paradigms, standing out among peers and making a difference. 

The judges found Mr. Kalumba to be an individual who epitomised the two aspects needed to be a good professional services leader namely good technical skills as demonstrated by his exploits in architecture and good management skills as proven by his taking charge of a new Johannesburg office for Louis Karol Architects.  

Mr. Kalumba has been a project architect for well-known structures such as the V and A Waterfront Shopping Mall in Cape Town; the 2010 World Cup Stadium in Cape Town; Liberty Life Regional Headquarters (Office and Hotel) in Umhlanga, Durban; Gautrain train stations (Midrand, Centurion and Pretoria), and Nkwashi Mixed Youth Development on Leopards Hill road in Lusaka where10, 000 houses, a university, international boarding school, retail and office park are being constructed.

Others include Essex College in the United Kingdom; Crown Street up-market residential apartments in Glasgow, Scotland; extension to the Birmingham International Airport (with bussing facility); Seacon up-market residential apartments on the River Thames in London; Eco Towers (office development) in Accra, Ghana; Intercontinental Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport; The Zone Shopping Mall in Rosebank, South Africa; Jabi Lake Mixed Youth Development (offices and hotel with residential complex) in Abuja, Nigeria, and Onomo Hotel in Free Town, Sierra Leone.

A COMBINED team of Zambia Police and officers from Chipata Municipal Council on Tuesday swung into action confiscating large quantities of illegal alcoholic drinks commonly known as Tujilijili.

The officers went round the district confiscating the alcoholic drinks in bars, streets within town and in the compounds.

A check at the council found officers offloading different types of the Tujilijili alcoholic drinks from the vehicle.

And Chipata Municipal Council, Director of Housing and Social Services Judith Maambo said that the alcohol was being confiscated because they are packaged in wrong bottles and are being sold in wrong places where children below the age of 18 could easily access them.

Ms Maambo further indicated that there are other offences that bar owners commit every day and the council would soon move in to control the situation.

She said that the local authority wants to create order in the way business was conducted in town.

And Chipata Municipal Council Public Relations Officer, Falesi Banda said the exercise was on-going until the alcohol was out of the market because it was being sold illegally and was harmful to people’s lives.
Ends