CLIP ALL ERRING COUNCILS
GOVERNMENT must extend investigations into illegal land deals to all councils to adequately address rampant land maladministration in financially beleaguered local authorities.
The revelation by Lands Minister, Jean Kapata, that reports are still streaming into her office about more councils being involved in illegal land allocation is a sad development.
Coming on the heels of the ban on Kitwe and Lusaka City Councils, the revelation is testament that there are more unrepentant councillors out there looting state property with impunity.
It appears that the councillors are in a hurry to amass wealth before the expiry of their term next year, going by the rising cases of civic leaders desecrating reserve and protected state land.
The country is now stuck with fully developed structures on reserve land with owners flaunting offer letters and approved house plans from councils.
Yes, they have developed structures on land reserved for service lines but at the same time are in possession of legal documents - a jigsaw puzzle for the state.
Even with numerous warnings from Ms Kapata and her Local Government counterpart Charles Banda, some councillors are still on rampage laying their hands on any piece of land, including reserve pieces near grave yards.
Civic leaders have gone on a wanton scramble for land including tracts under electricity pylons, railway lines and school football pitches – yes, it is that bad.
Therefore, Government must extend investigations to all councils including those in the countryside before the situation becomes unmanageable.
Erring councillors must not only be weeded out of the local authorities, but also ejected from the political parties which sponsored them to represent wards.
It has been explained time and again that councillors are there for policy guidance and oversight functions on part-time basis on the similar model as board members in companies.
Thus they are not supposed to get involved in the day- to-day operations and more specifically, they must not at any one time get on site with surveyors to demarcate land.
If they remain unrestrained, the councillors and their illegal allies will deplete the land resource in the country.
In fact, Government must not end on suspending and dissolving councils, but should also hand culprits over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.
If a number of them start shuttling between their homes and the courts of law and eventually get convicted, it will serve as a lesson to others.
Additionally, residents acquiring land in areas that are clearly reserved must also get a fair share of punishment.
Of course, some residents settle for reserved land it out of ignorance but most of them are fully aware that it is illegal to build a house on the river beds that are clearly defined as water sources such as the Kafubu River which runs through Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti.
In Ndola, structures are sprouting out at Minsundu water plant that accommodates underground water source managed by the Kafubu Water and Sanitation Company.
Residents building houses around the water plant are certainly not developers but destroyers because they are distorting the ecological outlay and flow of water.
Certainly, such residents cannot be said to be ignorant of the requirement to stay clear of the underground water source.
Therefore, both erring residents and corrupt councillors must be dealt with sternly so that this cancer can be brought to an immediate halt.
Sanity must thus prevail!