Kasama diocese Bishop, Spaita Mwewa has advised government against allowing large portions of land in Northern Province to be given to a single investor intending to embark on growing bio-fuel crops.
Bishop Spaita, who was in Samfya over-the-weekend to attend the funeral of late Senior Chief Mwewa, said that he has come across a document outlining plans to give 100,000 hectares of land to a single investor in the Northern Province for bio-fuel crops.
The bishop said the land has not yet been given, but there is 500,000 hectares in a named chiefdom of Mpika and another 500,000 hectares elsewhere intended to be given out to a single investor to produce Jatropha for bio-fuel.
“I have come across a report indicating that 500,000 hectares in one chiefdom of Mpika and another 500,000 somewhere that is planned to be awarded to an investor for growing Jatropha,” he said.
The clergymen said he is worried that once such large portions of land are given to a single investor, a lot of local people will be displaced and in the end get reduced from landowners to landless labourers for a private entity.
He said government should protect the interests of local small scale farmers by empowering to grow bio-fuel crops which in turn they can sell to the investor, instead of allowing a large portion of land to be given on a 99-year lease to a single investor.
“We want to explain why our people cannot be given means to produce Jatropha and sell to these investors rather than giving out land on 99 years lease to these investors,” Bishop Spaita said.
ZANIS
Well spoken ba Mwewa. Land is the most precious asset that we have and should be guarded jealously.
One of these Bishops should just take over presidency, they very wise. Sure sure, Jatropha is very easy plant, which can be grown by local people. Don’t take their land please.
Well spoken indeed. What is it about we Zambians that makes us jump and dance aat the site of light skin yet when we see a fellow darkie we re not moved?100,000 heactares to just one indivifual yet local people cannot access the same land to small holdings
I take it this is a “hot” topic as it seems blogger are holding out their comments. Well my take is, good talk but , too much idol land wont do Zambia any good too. Need to come up with a better plan to accommodate both parties. I will now leave it to the intelligent people to come up with a solution to this problem……
Here in Zambia we dont hold land issues seriously. This is the reason we are very poor. We cant even attract proper tourists. Land in other countries is something you dont mess around with, you get killed over it. Kenya’s independence struggle was based on land issues more than on anything else. You dont give it away like you can give a shirt or money, you hold onto it like it was your very neck.
Imperialism
I hope our GRZ will see sense in mwewa’s suggestions if the same land as not been given already, but i dought if this land is still there.the chief will be imformed after all the paper work is done.
No#3 LUSAKA, the reason is that most Zambians do not know the true history of black people. Most think we originated from the Shaka Zulu Loin cloth wearing balbaric peoples. No Sirs and Madams, we were king before this who do we think started civilization. I was reading a National geographic mag. and watched the show that talked about black pharoahs and other gread BLACK empires. Who do you think Moses’s father in Law was, the one that helped him shape the 12 tribe and governing responsibilties of Israel, better one, who helped Jesus carry his cross en route to Calvary. Peganism slowed us and steered us in the wrong direction. Why do you think most Zambian women want to be light skinned, when true men like myself shall like a sister weather high yellow, medium or pure dark nubian
chocolate like eve in the garden of eden. Yes it is our land thus they need a 15 year lease with a strange retention clause.
But I love any person of the so called different races, which was a term invened in the 19th century. We are all of the same kind as God created us, but there is always the devil to confuse people world over to make up caste systems like the one once gripping Zimbabwe. It is time w valued what we have a Zambia for our fore fathers faught for independence for us to sow seeds of development and family.
typo: invented
true that
My appeal to this governemnt is to become smart and start encouraging serious enterpreneurship among Zambians. Very quick to attend to foreigners than your own people. How much are you getting out of these land deals? Start challenging the young Zambians to start becoming investors / enterpreneurs upon providing sensible and viable business proposals. Let Zambians be the priority, don’t wait for World bank or IMF or the so called ‘investors’ to come and make money out of us, instill a sense of responsibility in Zambians to start believing in themselvesNon zambians should be at the back of the line.
President Banda is a veteran nationalist with an attachment to the land value.
Like any nationalist, every inch of our land matters to H.E President Banda because that is what he fought for in the liberation struggles. But he will not be gripped with the fear of the outside and be an isolationist like traditional Islamic economics of Iran under the Ulamas.
Look at India another country with a traditional economy now successfully mixed. Since end of the British Raj she has tried every economic model from Nehru’s pro-soviet indicative planning to Gradual market reforms since 1992.
Though the Hindu Caste as their traditional economic system is strong there, they have opened up to the world. They have defined their economic comparative edge in computer software development while FDI…
They have defined their economic comparative edge in computer software development while FDI too enjoys the economic space. However, the unique and inspiring thing is that no company can fire an employee without the consent of Government. Zambia needs FDI to supplement and support emerging SME in capacity building. But in pulling this multilateral investments, i strongly believe that President Banda will not condone any investment plan that help reconstruct colonialism in Zambia.The ministry of lands has a clause that beyond 2000 acres (verify figure), land allocation must be by the head of state who converns the land tribunal with his commisioner of lands to weigh the cost benefit analysis.As much as the Bishop is concerned, reaching his friend President Banda quitely would be smart.
Is it 100,000 Hectares or 1,000,000 Hectares? The article mentions of 100,000 hectares which seems to be derived from the addition of two separate pieces of land covering 500,000 hectares each! That aside, the land to be given away is too large and there is no assurance that the land will be used for its intended purpose. It will just deprive the locals of their only source of pride and security turning them into slaves as the Chief has rightly pointed out. As a result of an ill thought out biofuel policy, there is a clear danger of shifting our focus away from growing food to growing plant fuels. At the moment our country does not grow enough food crops. By the way, does anyone know what has become of the 10,000 hectares of land in Mkushi that the late LPM gave to his Libyan investors?
In the above post, I mentioned Chief instead of Bishop. My apologies.
This is disgusting!! How on earth can a responsible government give two million hectares of land from just two districts of nakonde and isoka to a crooked chinese investor. Does this government know what a chinese can do, what this implies to my grand children. Why should you sell us to the chinese for your selfish interests? Why should you make zambia a victim of land grabing and colonisation in this century. I WANT MY LAND BACK NOW NOW NOW
NO MORE COLONIZATION PLEASE ZAMBIA!!!!!!!. CHINESE ARE THE WORST EXPLOITERS THIS MUST STOP.