‘LCC SHOULD ACT AND NOT WAIT FOR HOUSES TO BE BUILT ON ILLEGAL LAND’

THELusaka City Council should held accountable for incompetence for allowing illegal structures to mushroom around the city including the those built along the Njanji commuter Railway reserve, Lusaka business man Christanius Changwereza has charged.

Speaking in an interview Mr Changwereza said that it is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that there is sanity in the way structures are built in the city. He suggested that the council should halt the demolition so that a solution is found for the affected developers.

Mr Changwereza observed that it is obvious that the developers were issued with documentation hence it is strange that the local authority is now calling for the demolition of the structures.

“These people did not give the land to themselves the council was aware of the development so before demolishing the structures a solution should be found for the affected families. We are dealing with human beings here,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of the council to ensure that there is legality in the way structures are put up in the city and where, it is therefore strange that the council wants to take action after the structures have been built. I think we should start holding authorities accountable for not doing their work,” Mr Changwereza said.

He said that before demolishing the structures the plight of the affected families should be looked at by finding them an alternative land. The Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) and the Lusaka City Council (LCC) have announced that they will embark on an exercise to demolish houses built along the Njanji commuter Railway reserve without compensation.

The targeted areas include Chilenje, Libala and Kamwala South.