Chief Chipepo blames govt officcials for land policy debacle

THE draft National Land Policy is foreign and cannot work for Zambians and has accused officials in the ministry of Lands of pushing an alien agenda, Chief Chipepo of the Tonga people of Chirundu, Siavonga and Gwembe districts has charged.

In an interview in Lusaka, Chief Chipepo said traditional leaders wanted to work with President Lungu but officials at the Ministry of Lands were allegedly pushing a foreign agenda on land. “It is not that we don’t want to work with the President (Lungu). The President has a wrong Ministry of Lands that is forcing things which they are not supposed to force and they are not telling the President the truth. “That is where the problem is and it is important to tell the President that officials are not telling him the truth. What we know is that the ministry is pushing an agenda which is not supposed to be there. You cannot bring land policy which is foreign. For who? Let us be very cautious when it comes to land,” Chief Chipepo said. And the traditional leader has joined in the condemnation of the ministry’s notice to evict settlers around Kalomo Hills Forest in Womba, Bbilili and Naluja wards by September 30, 2018. “Those people settled there almost 50 years ago now and where do you take them? There is no planning of removing people from one place to another. “This is our country and we have to make sure that those politicians who think that they can do anything they will cry come 2021 because people are now civilized. People know who is supposed to be in the office. There is no more cheating now,” he said.