A Ndola Businessman of Somali Origin has issued an eviction order and demolition order for Old Regiment Community School located at Old Regiment Township claiming the school is built on his land.
The Community School which goes up to grade 7 is the first and only school in Old Regiment built by the Community themselves since the settlement was established in 1963 and currently has over 500 pupils.
Bwana Mkubwa PF Member of Parliament Dr. Jonas Chanda confirmed the development and said the talk now should be about upgrading of the school to grade 12 and not demolition.
“The greatest resource of any nation are its young people. And the most important investment a nation can make in the lives of its children is education, which is a great equaliser in Life. “IMITI IKULA E MPANGA.” It’s only Education that will produce the needed human or intellectual capital to develop Zambia”, he said.
Dr. Chanda has reminded the said businessman that demolishing the school will amount to destroying the lives and the future of over 500 children.
Dr. Chanda who has opposed the intention to demolish the school said he will take up the matter to parliament and has appealed to government to halt the planned demolition and save the poor people of Old Regiment settlement.
“Old Regiment settlement was established in 1963. People have lived at Old Regiment for 56 years, long before any so-called investor could lay any claim to this land by engaging lawyers and obtaining titles on this “untitled” land. The ruling PF party policy talks about upgrading of Informal settlements by providing basic services to the people, not demolitions”, Dr. Chanda added.
Two years ago, there was another eviction order given to another foreign oil marketing company to demolish the entire Old Regiment settlement which could have resulted in the displacement of over 5,000 people who have lived there for 56 years and have put up various developmental infrastructure like houses, churches, bars and stores among others.
“The Law is very clear on any investor who wants to buy land where people have settled for years. First, a social survey has to be conducted to determine what investments residents have put up and the cost. Then a prospective buyer has to negotiate with residents and compensate them if they wish to sell off their properties. And finally, an alternative place has to be found for displaced but compensated residents”, Dr. Chanda said.
He has since urged Ndola City Council to find alternative land for this so-called investor further appealing to government not to allow such acts meant to incite people to rise up against government.
Dr. Chanda has also called on the Ministry of Local Government to Legalise Old Regiment and other informal settlements where people have lived for many years so that the poor are not exploited by the urban rich and their cohorts.
He said the Ministry of Lands should also expedite the finalization of the first ever National Land Policy so that ownership of land by Foreigners is highly restricted and only given to credible investors especially those in the manufacturing industry who are creating jobs for Zambians and contributing to the Country’s economic development.
The Audacity of this Businessman is beyond control, We are talking about matters of National interest here not his ego, Please bakamfulumende (Government) step in and correct this Man’s wrong perception of the Citizenry! Zambia comes first and henceforth, Zambians.
A Somalian going to demolish a community school in Zambia????
Zambians the domicile citizens…. I indeed agree with Sinkamba.
I was just thinking of going to Somalia and own Land there and evict Alshabab……..how possible is that???….
let him go back to Somali.
If it’s his land he has every right. Who got that land first? Him or the school? Find out before issuing xenophobic statements. A country’s laws is what business is interested in. If the laws can be easily twisted investors will run away. Knowing Zambia you may just discover lots of corruption by your own lands officials behind this situation.
Bushe Imbwili – is he aware of this nonsence going on in Ndola!!
He has the audacity to threaten eviction because someone somewhere gave him title to the land, irrespective of the people who have lived there for 56 years! So if anyone is to blame, it is the government officials (central or local government) who gave this man the title to the land.
Stupid chanda. Somalian businessman is right to evict Kafirs from his land.
Mwi ikata nakuchani uyo umwisa means mala yabi mu tafyeni always kumyabo kusomali eko akwata umushili wakwe
Stone isukulu Aya sana
This is the hard reality under clueless Lungu’s government. Foreigners coming into the country, buying land and evicting native Zambians. There is so much disorganization in Zambia under clueless Lungu. As much as I would want to blame this Somalian guy, most likely some foo1 sold him this land where people were already dwelling. There’s no proper land policy in Zambia. That’s why there’s so much corruption with regard to land, and many councils across the country take advantage of the disorganization to make corrupt money off of it. And then these same people who are being displaced will still vote for PF and clueless corrupt Lungu in 2021. What a tragedy. Stop selling large swathes of land to foreigners, you foo1s. You traitors.
The by product of pf’s corruption at ministry of lands whereby even cadres are allocating plots. When me and my Swiss wife were trying to buy prime land near Roma in Lusaka we even had pf cadres threatening us. Disgusting behaviour.
As a Zambian try going to Somalia and demanding to demolish a long established religious school after you claim to have bought the land ????
How I wish Julius Malema could be given an opportunity to rule Zambia for only ONE WEEK whilst President Lungu goes on short holiday.
After that ONE WEEK period land order will be restored in Zambia.
WHAT NOSENSE IS THIS HONESTLY??? HOW DO YOU CHASE THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS FROM THEIR HOMELAND IN PREFERENCE FOR SOME UNSCRUPULOUS FOREIGNER CALLING HIMSELF INVESTOR??/
I hope this was not engineered by PETER CHENI who has corruptly sold more than 90% of land in Ndola???
The short sighted individuals here are blaming the somali when in fact they should be blaming those that have facilitated confusion in the management of land in zambia. Is it not your government that has power to allocate and register land. This is why most Zambian make wrong decisions at ballot booths. It’s like me cheating on my beautiful Swiss wife and then blaming evil spirits for my losses and sad life after she leaves me.
I think on the whole of Africa , Zambians are the most docile when it come to accepting foreigners.
I am not advocating xenophobia, but we should have some protection and selfishness when it comes to our land and foringners doing whatever they what in Zambia.
But how can this be when we have a corrupt PF with little monkies like Nathan Chanda demonsting for foringers against ck when ck was calling for some jobs to be left for Zambians
Zambians can find foreigners digging the land looking for something in Zambia , instead of asking what they are doing , the Zambians would gladly help them looking for what ever they are looking for…..
For a small fee of course ….
Stop dreaming. Where did that happen?
CORRUPTION is the root cause of such behaviour from a SOMALIAN FOREIGNER in our COUNTRY ZAMBIA . The Acquisition of this piece of land by this foreigner must be investigated and action taken appropriately should anyone be found wanting.
If the Government cares for its Zambian people then the title deed that was issued to the Somalian foreigner must be cancelled in NATIONAL INTEREST.
Let this foreigner go to his country and get land and develop his business in Somali , we don’t need him here .Zambia is for Zambians. Somali is for Somalians period.
We cannot have Foreigners threatening our people in our own country .
Can only in the Zambian city ofsomaliland (ndola). And what will theybuild yhere when the school is demolished? An ugly block making ramshackle passing for a factory. In the corrupt city of somaliland in copperbelt.
This is a no brainer, tell the ugly somali investor to fuseki and go back to his al shabbaab land in Somalia. Or else I will call my brothers in rsa to come and do xenophobia for that community.
Kkkkkkkk. Those Somalians are extremely violent. I don’t know what has been going on with the Immigration Department in Ndola. They almost own Ndeke and Twapia Townships
Its time to find out who offered this land to two separate entities and authorised the buildings to be erected. If it was an official from Ndola city council, then they should own up and dance to the legal music. Problems like this should begin to help us fix the broken down and corrupt systems of our local government
Years back,i head of a foreigner who had bought the entire island on lake tanganika displacing the residents who had lived there since time in memorial,how have the government gone with that isue?im not too sure,but the island shud be on mweru or mweru wantipa,any one with updates.
GRZ used the army to scatter the foreigner’s agents.
I have heard that that community school was built in 1963, now my question is, when did he (investor) buy that land if the comm.school has been in existence for 56 years?
Am sure the said land was sold by a corrupt individual who wants to dent the image of the government or he has taken advantage of this corrupt regime.
These are the right kind of arguments this issue needs to be brought up. Not just hating someone because he is a foreigner
It appears Somalians have acquired so much land in zambia especially ndola. Another somalian by the name of khalif had a legal battle over land ownership in ndola ‘s main masala area. I don’t even know how it was resolved. Although we need their investment, we certainly don’t need their pomposity and utter stupidity.
Not surprising this can only happen in Zambia where foreigners get whatever they want. Come 2021 you will go to the same Zambians you are illtreating for votes. Not all days are Mondays.
But Somalis have been doing this kind of nonsense for over 40 years now. They came here as oil tanker drivers during the hell run of the early 1960s. Along the way they started bringing in their families and started acquiring plots. It has nothing to do with elections but with the people who have allowed this rubbish for decades.
It appears Somalians have acquired so much land in zambia especially ndola. Another somalian by the name of khalif had a legal battle over land ownership in ndola ‘s main masala area with a native zambian. I don’t even know how it was resolved. Although we need their investment, we certainly don’t need their pomposity and utter stupidity.
What can a Somali invest in Zambia apart from hiding from war in their country?
For you every black foreigner is pompous. White people have invaded your land but you never call them that
Why do Africans hate each other like this?
Deport the motherfaka to whereever he came from.
Iye mayo I thought you were an elder
The true colours of this pf xenophobic thing called ndanje is beginning to show..how can you use such language over an issue you don’t have facts on. Your own party probably sold this guy the land and yet here you are swearing at the wrong person. Ndiwe galu iwe
Would definately find this man
In Zambia foreigners and the rich easily corrupt councils and easily acquire land, but the locals and those that have no means to corrupt face difficult to acquire land or plots. Can someone please reverse this evil tend. If I may ask, who gave land to the Somalian at the expense of the indigenous Zambians who have infact resided on that land for decades? How much did he pay? To who? I beg our leaders to think about Zambians first in all their operations.
Mwi ikata na na kuchani uyo umwisa mwana mala yabi mutafyeni aleya kumyabo eko akwatila umushili wakwe ku Somali. Atobe isukulu aleyangala
In the first place #school #children , If I am Zambian but Somali origin does that I don’t belong to Zambia, I am sorry most of you saying bad about Somali people.
Who gave him the Land in the first place? If its his land even before the school was built the government should composate another piece of Land; If he want buy it now ;they should find him suitable land for him but not the school in both two cases.
I am Somali, respect and love for Zambia.