Land policy reforms vital - ZDDM

THE land leases we are giving to foreigners under archaic colonial pieces of legislation are retrogressive and disadvantaging ordinary Zambians hence the need to change our policies, the Zambia Direct Movement (ZDDM) has said.

Speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, ZDDM president Edwin Sakala said giving 99-year land leases to foreigners was outrageously irresponsible and amounted to Zambians selling their own birthright and that colonial policies must be repealed immediately.

Mr. Sakala said for a long time now, stakeholders had been calling for repealing policies governing land acquisition and administration but that successive Governments had paid little attention to the matter, save for the current one.

He said the draft National Land Policy by the PF Government was progressive even though it did not directly address land acquisition by foreigners adding that Zambia was the only country which was carelessly giving land to foreigners.

“We have been very careless as a country. How do you give a foreign company a 99-year land lease to construct and run a mall? We have had bogus agreements with companies to construct certain facilities, recoup their money, and then hand them over to Government.

“Luburma market agreement is one such undertaking. By the time the owners will be handing over that facility to the council, it will have outlived its lifespan. Right now, the owners have made way beyond their investment but because of our docility, they will continue making huge profits yet the council is struggling to pay salaries,” Mr. Sakala said.

He said current laws governing land in Zambia named citizens aliens in their own country.

“Today, foreigners are getting houses and plots from locals for upgrading or development and are changing ownership without any problem because our laws are vague. These are laws which were left by our colonial masters which we have failed to change 55 years after independence.

“At the rate we are going, our children will have no land remaining. Foreigners have invaded this county and are getting every piece of land whether by hook or crook. The unfortunate part is that these people are aided by authorities which are supposed to safeguard our land,” he complained.