President Rupiah Banda has directed police to arrest and prosecute people involved in illegal grabbing and allocation of land regardless of their political affiliation.
President Banda said the police should immediately devise an effective and efficient law enforcement mechanism to arrest and prosecute all those that have acquired land illegally from lawful owners, especially in Lusaka.
Special assistant to the president for Press and public relations Dickson Jere said yesterday in a statement the police should further investigate the people and their ring-leaders involved in land grabbing and bring them to book without fail.
He said the president had received numerous representations from a number of people concerning the conduct of criminals purporting to be political party cadres grabbing land from lawful owners.
The president directed that all those occupying land illegally should be removed forthwith and land should be given back to the rightful owners who had title deeds.
“Police officers should protect all legitimate owners of land from harassment and victimisation from the illegal land grabbers regardless of their political affiliation. The police should ensure those threatening violence are brought to book without fail,” he said.
The president has also directed the minister of Lands, minister of Local Government and Housing and minister of Home Affairs to immediately form a committee to follow up on all complaints concerning land, which has been illegally acquired and allocated.
The president said all unplanned settlements should be stopped.
“The Ministry of Lands through the office of the commissioner of lands should conduct the audit of undeveloped land, especially in Lusaka and appropriate action taken in accordance with the law,” he said.
The president has directed local and other planning authorities to take charge by stopping any illegal construction of buildings.
“All buildings under construction should have legitimate planning permission as prescribed by law. Public officers involved in the illegal acquisition of land should also be dealt with and appropriate action taken against them,” he said.
The president has also directed all public officers entrusted with the responsibility of administering land to be above board and avoid involving themselves in illegal transactions.
“It is the wish of the president to see to it that there is order and tranquility in land acquisition in Zambia. There are laws in Zambia which govern land acquisition, which must be respected at all times,” he said.
[ Times of Zambia ]
walk the talk mr president,start by caging that malawian chap William Banda.He is one major culprit.
Am nambala 1 ! heh heh heh heh
arrest Dr Musonda aswell
We are tired of empty talk Mr President, just cage one William banda then all will come back to order
#3 True, Dr Musonda must also be arrested!
Why refer to political affliation Mr. Banda? This just goes to show that the failure by police to arrest bandits like Dr Solomon is polically directed. Rememeber “DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO DO UNTO YOU.” You will one day become an ordinary citizen and would want to be treated the way you are treating non MMD member citizens?
All those grabbing land from lawful owners should not be spared indeed. This is too much and the law can not be in the hands of thugs. These people who are unlawfully grabbing land are barbarians and barbaric life cannot be tolerated by any peace loving person. Our listening president has said and it should be done
It just goes to show that the police is under Bwezani-petticoat govt!Why cant the police act INDEPENDENTLY when they see any wrong doing??Why must they wait for Bwezani to give directives??Is this what our law has come to??
arrest Dr Musonda
CHIEF BOOTLICKER SHUT THE F***K UP YOU HAVE NO SHAME…….ACTING LIKE ALL THAT’S GOIN WRONG IS LAND GRABBING!!!!!!!!!……..WHY HAS THIS YOUR PRESIDENT NOT INSISTED ON THE ARREST OF THOSE AT MOH WHO HAVE BASICALLY STOLEN FROM THE SICK AND CONDEMED THEM TO DEATH…..WHERE DO YOU GET THE NERVE TO EVEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH….ATASE!!!…I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN YOU AND ALL THESE EVIL MEN WILL HAVE TO LAY IN THE BEDS YOU ARE MAKING…COZ AS THEY SAY..WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(
CHIEF BOOTLICKER SHUT THE F***K UP YOU HAVE NO SHAME…….ACTING LIKE ALL THAT’S GOIN WRONG IS LAND GRABBING!!!!!!!!!……..WHY HAS THIS YOUR PRESIDENT NOT INSISTED ON THE ARREST OF THOSE AT MOH WHO HAVE BASICALLY STOLEN FROM THE SICK AND CONDEMED THEM TO DEATH…..WHERE DO YOU GET THE NERVE TO EVEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH….ATASE!!!…I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN YOU AND ALL THESE EVIL MEN WILL HAVE TO LAY IN THE BEDS YOU ARE MAKING…COZ AS THEY SAY..WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(
Indeed why should the police wait 4 RB to give instructions of arrest, whats gong on in this ccountry?????
In Kitwe, we have some so called MMD Task Force Chairman who wants to put up some structures without Council approval. He has cartegorically told the City Council that he is only answerable to the President. The same person has told pirate taxi drivers that he will protect them from ZP and Concil harrassment. So you call this a normal way of running a country? Iam asking Mr. RB
In Hillview chalala a portion of land that was set aside for social amenities has been grabbed by somebody who told us to mind our own business when approached. People were expecting the hood to have a police post, market, car park, post office etc… instead we shall have a small township going by the size of plots they are demarketing… Why don’t things go as planned pa Zed?
Dont worry, things will be changed come 2011. People will face the cobra in court. They are digging their own graves.
I think HH & SATA r good candidates.
Bwezani shame on you,arrest your boot licker William Banda and Dr.Gun S Musonda,why are you running from issues,anyway we should not bother ourselves you are never serious.Am sure Dora confuses you too much to think.
William Banda was the last reported person in control of an MMD militia haunting people to leave their plots in Lusaka.
Will he be arrested?
We wait and see.
In all fairness, this is a postive statement and lets hope it will materialise into action. Country boy # 4, this land grabbing has been going on for ages so lets not blame William Banda, who was only jusr recenylt reappeared on the political scene. Actually there was or is a case of a muzungu who was allegedly killed by PF cadres in Ibex over land. Deja vu, the statement bout regardless of political affiliation is tell the police to feel free to act objectively. De Ja vu #13 this directive sounds like it will address the MMd cadre you are talking about< . If i was a council official I would now put my foot down
Just say cage one william banda, why beat about the bush? Does it have to take the president to instruct kobonde, his police and lands minister what to do? These are straight forward issues and bwezani shouldn’t even be involved. As it is, everything is under him. No one moves until bwezani say so.
Postitivist and your fellow bootlickers your bootlicking days are numbered. Only 17 more months!
Mr President you are a big lier. First start with you gungster ministers who are on the move killing innocent people
Only Levy Mwanawasa had the couarage and decency to demolish illegal land strcutures and he was supported by one very competent local government minister Slyvia Masebo. I doubt RB has the balls to do what he is talking about!
#19 Postitivist pa Zed- Iam here in Zambia and I will ask you why nothing has been done about this cadre inspite of using public media to make threats against the Kitwe Council and even ZP
Finally RB ha s Fired Musonda nomba ba Mukando Lungu balebepa ati ” Dr Musonda’s case too long to commence becoz the DPP was out of the country as if we are toddlers his telling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#24 I missed that one. So if the DPP was out of the country how come the arrest of other persons other than Dr. Musonda were being prosecuted.It is a funny banana country
De ja vu, only the DPP can give authority to prosecute. So the cops should can charge you but cant actually prosecute till the DPP says so. Now what the cops someines do is they charge and throw you in the coollers( if it is a un bailable offence) and then they wait for the DPP to decide. If you have no one pursuing it, you can be inside for years
# 24 Beats me too,the whole thing is a comedy.
#21 De ja Vu
Well probably the cops were scared of taking action because of his political position. Now that the HE has spoken lets hope the authorities can swing into action. You as a concerned party can bring this issue out into public domain by going to the Post, Muvi Tv, ZNBC etc. Dont just criticise . Let us all work on making Zambia a better place in our own little ways
No. 28 – you are right. But strong political will is needed for that to happen!
Ba number 8,you are such a genius cos that’s exactly what I wanted to say.Why wait for Bwezani to give directives to arrest people who allocate and grab land illegally when it is already clear that it is criminal to allocate land illegally.Zambian police.so intelligent and yet so dull.Shame on you.
28 Positivist pa zed- YOU THINK I HAVENT DONE THAT?- This news item was on Radio Ichengelo for 2 days running almost about the same time Frank Bwalya was arrested for distributing Red Cards to the public.The so called HE has just realised that if he lets Dr. Musonda and Land grabbers go scot free, the opposition will use these as campaign material in the forth coming by elections.There is no consitency in his adminstration of our affairs.Like I told Iam not overseas so I can talk from a physical point of view.