A number of families in Chingola’s Gymkana area are facing homelessness after their houses were demolished by state police in compliance with a court order. The action has left several families without shelter.
Reports indicate that the affected houses were constructed on a piece of land claimed by a private individual named Emmanuel Chitambala. Mr. Chitambala had obtained a court order in 2020, which ultimately led to the demolition of the houses.
During a recent visit by a ZNBC news crew, affected families were seen sorting through their belongings, salvaging what they could from the wreckage. The families expressed their surprise and disappointment at the demolition, particularly in light of recent assurances they had received from their local leaders.
The affected families are now appealing to the government to provide them with alternative land to rebuild their lives and homes.
Chingola District Commissioner Raphael Chimupi confirmed the demolitions and assured the public that his administration is actively collaborating with other stakeholders in the district to explore ways to assist the affected families. He disclosed that a total of 36 structures in Gymkana’s Bupalo Ward had been demolished.
Nchanga Member of Parliament, Derrick Chilundika, described the situation as unfortunate and called on the local authorities to swiftly identify alternative land for the displaced families. He emphasized the urgency of finding a solution to address their housing needs.
Chingola Town Clerk Namukolo Kalufyanya clarified that the demolition in Gymkana was not initiated or sanctioned by the local council.
Heartless and selfish
According to you
who let them build there without any authority
People should always double check when getting land to avoid such.
Example is the Ndola issue where a cabinet minister has failed grab land due to the fact that the sitting tenant has water tight confirmation that the land is his.
This thing keeps repeating itself all over Zambia because of the collapse of the local government system, especially the function of issuing and enforcing building permits. No local authority would issue a building permit to someone developing land they have no legal ownership of. I really, really feel sorry for Gary Nkombo because his ministry is not getting on top of this problem. Zambians have brought the village mentality to town and think they need no authority to erect a property.
Zambian Reporters are crazy. How can you say they “are facing homelessness” when their homes have already been destroyed? They are homeless!
My comment has been moderated.
So now this same person is dropped from his ministerial post in Luapula and now people in his constituency are left homeless for a court injunction filed in 2020……..is it a coincidence?
Some civic leaders are involved in land offers, assure developers of paperwork to follow later. Only to see a bulldozer graze your house in darkness of the night assisted by riot police taking vigile. Sometimes the Civic Centre is not proactive. Waiting for you to finish building then they roll in frontend loaders to wreck your structures. For how long do we continue hearing of such wall teardowns?
They were building on land which they knew it was not theirs just because some local leaders assured them. Now they are homeless and they expect government to find them alternative places or come to their aid? In fact they should have even been arrested for trespassing and sent to prison. That is the only way people are going to learn.
Demo ,demo,demolish ’em all and be heartless at it. Zambia has become a chaotic nation of shacks even the vast numbers of filthy hawkers on the streets.