The Local Government Service Commission has suspended Ndola Town Clerk Ernest Sumani and thirty other officers at the local authority. Commission Chairperson Amos Musonda says the 31 suspended officers are believed to have been involved in illicit land activities at the council.
Mr. Musonda says the suspension of Mr. Sumani and his subordinates is indefinite. The Local Government Service Commission Chairperson said this at a media briefing in Kitwe. He said the Ndola City council had a special council meeting where it resolved to suspend the 31.
The suspended officers are from the planning, Housing and legal departments. He said a Governmental steering committee to preside over the land problems at the embattled city council has since been constituted.
Earlier this year, Minister of Local Government Vincent Mwale revoked the land administration agency from the Ndola City Council.
Good move. Prosecute them if you have strong evidence. Use them as examples that kick backs and abuse of office will be punished.
It is these same people that are creating inflated land prices.
All councils should be audited to root this syndrome.
@IndigoTyrol the problem is even the people to probe (police) will have no credibility (see Tayali Vs IG 2017); the DPP has also questionable credentials (Nolle prosequi). This the time to appoint a person of great credential such as Mushota (BB2004). Let’s give her a chance to put her little experience to test!
@MB it’s dangerous to report a crime to the police in Zambia. The police will inform the criminal who will come after you. I had this experience in 2003 and since that time I mind my own business.
Officials at Lusaka city council and ministry of lands should be suspended too.officers at these institutions are very corrupt!!nothing moves in those offices if money hasnt exchanged hands!!
FIRE THE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE LANDS DEPARTMENT!
Who is in charge of that Minisrty?
Excellent! It’s time to tackle this.
Good move. Land in Ndola is being given to Somalians and Congolese at the expense of Zambians
The Worst culprits are the PF cadres and Councillors led by Mayor and DC. Officers were just foolishly used. So let them also be suspended and probed.
Please let this be the beginning of much more aggressive fight against Illicit land allocation every where in the country. Lusaka is a leading culprit in corrupt land allocation , we urgently want to hear Lusaka city council cleaned equally. land ownership to foreigners must quickly also be brought to un end, they should be allowed to rent only.
I agree. You wont own land anywhere else as a foreigner
So an invisible hand has struck again and suspensions have surfaced again. Some staff are being used 2 turnishturnish the image of others. Further where we Councillors when this mess was happening. They should not go scot free they must also answer because they corrupt staff and turn their back. Coes are in trouble the Councillors want the Lgsc wants they are living in constant fear of these bodies because they all want. The Lgsc needs 2 listen 2 its members and support them if not suspension will continue as people want 2 keep their jobs. Its sad because at the end of the day these continue being paid and we know justice will be delayed. How many officer are on suspension because that is free money tax payers money 4 those on suspension.
We’ve received cases where a house is built on a site where a road is supposed to pass. The house is demolished in spite of the fact that the drawings for the house /plot are signed and stamped by both the Town Clerk and the Town Engineer. We asked the TC why the house which was fully authorized was demolished. He blamed his juniors who he later transferred to other towns. But these cases have continued. This former TC is now an MP somewhere in the rural areas.
Councils are run by a whole majority of people. The Town Clerk works through their juniors whom he trusts will do the right thing. Then the Community, Councillors are the eyes and ears for community activities but even they just say approved when these plans are presented. There is need for consented efforts to ensure that things are done right. Then there is politics. You can try your level best to report a case of illegal buildings going up then you get a call from the power that be and for fear of losing a job you pass it. Then powers change and its the TC’s name that goes rotten. That is politics at play. But let me say please let the TC wait honorably for a hearing. Problem in Zambia even before issues are heard the media has spread the news as if he has already been found…
Its shame! Honestly NCC how could you sink so low to the extent of allocating a plot on land where ministry of Lands has issued Title deed. This is total breakdown of Law! Town Clerk at the helm of such rot is shuddering!
Best Comments to have read ever! Good show!!!
Ministers were ordered to pay back the money they illegally obtained before elections, what has happened? Nothing! So you are thinking the Town Clerk and 30 others have been suspended? Not under PF government. Fake News!
Indefinite suspension never happens anywhere in the world. That’s an infringement on human rights. How can someone look for other sources of income whilst on an indefinite suspension? This is not only inhuman and torture. Can we have sanity please!
Good move this should be extended to other local authorities such as Solwezi etc where there are illegal land deals. Please be LGC do not relax. That action will serve a warning to other officials.I lost my piece of land in Solwezi.
Comment:
This town clerk Enerst Sumani the once-upon-a-time Mpulungu town clerk? Check his deeds while at Mpulungu, please!
It started in the 90s at this council. They sold land for parks to brown envelopes and noone did anything about it