Stop land encroachments now - Kapata
COUNCILS should immediately cancel illegal plots allocated on state land to curb rampant encroachments, Lands Minister Jean Kapata has directed councils.
The minister has also warned that councillors involved in illegal allocation of land on Government property would face the wrath of the law regardless of their political affiliation.
Land encroachments have been rampant across the country especially on the Copperbelt where Government land in schools and health centres have been invaded.
“We know that at times it is the councils themselves that are giving out land to unsuspected members of the party. Even councillors are now involved and end up demarcating Government land to members of the public,” Ms Kapata warned.
She said that the role of councillors was to spearhead development in their specific wards and not giving out land.
Ms Kapata said it was worrying that almost everyone in councils was changing careers and started dealing land.
The minister, who was speaking in an interview, said that some councillors and other council officials would soon be arrested to serve as a deterrent to would be offenders.
She said that councils should be on the lookout because they had been given a mandate as agents to administer land on behalf of Government.
“This is now worrying because councils and encroached state institutions wait for structures to multiply and fail to stop them at the end of the day.
“Let them begin demolishing structures immediately they see them coming up unlike waiting for them to multiply and become uncontrollable” she said.