THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has with immediate effect shut down one of the largest retail shop in the city, Pick “n” Pay for carrying out construction works while it is open to members of the public for business.
LCC Public relations officer Henry Kapata said in an interview yesterday that the council has since suspended the business operating permit given Pick “n” Pay, PHI outlet until the retail shop completes its constructions.
Mr Kapeta said the local authority has also suspended the firm’s Business Levy Licence and the Health Permits for the PHI store.
“We gave them those licences on the understanding that the building was complete and ready for use. However our investigations have revealed that Pick N Pay is still working on the building and yet they have commenced trading,” Mr Kapeta explained.
He added, “The current scenario poses a safety risk to the shoppers and off course to those working on the building.”
Mr Kapata said that investigations showed that there was still works going on on the roof top of the new building.
Pick “n” Pay PHI outlet which had been issued with a Partial Occupation Certificate after LCC had inspected the structure for safety, opened its doors to its customers on Saturday.
But Mr Kapata said that the outlet had abrogated the requirements of the Public Health Act by putting up extra structures while customers were shopping from it which posed a danger to members of the public.
Mr Kapata said following that development, the council has also revoked the Partial Occupation Certificate given to Pick “n” Pay PHI outlet.
Well done,don’t accept any bribes strive to do the right thing for national development.
Sata is right the man thinks
He is right to close it
You will see how better zambia will be by 2021 after tge the formalities are done in 2016
Thank you sata thank you pf
But if the building was inspected why was the licence given?Someone here has been bribed.
and somebody in the council is answerable, this rubbish should be put to an end. But what wrong with South African investors? What do they take Zambians for? surely in this day and edge can you invest in this manner, when you have guidelines you should follow. I mean for for a big institution like Pick and Pay are, within their ranks, they can open up a store with chicken wire, for the love of money. And us also we flock in droves and doves in there? What can one make of that?
“We gave them those licences on the understanding that the building was complete and ready for use. However our investigations have revealed that Pick N Pay is still working on the building and yet they have commenced trading,” Mr Kapeta explained.
Mr Kapata, Do you really think this could have happened anywhere else on earth?
How was these licenses given before physical inspection by the council was done? Or were you avoiding Lusaka trafic to drive there?
The customers should not have agreed to enter such ominous looking premises. Zambia are so comfortable with mediocrity, it is scary!
why issue a license before inspecting? now you go and inspect after issuing a license, what kind of incompetence is this in Zed
the council is not working according they have to make sure the building is complete and then issue necessary documents why should they give those documents from word of mouth that the building is complete someone is not doing his job!
LOL – maybe at first glance they thought the building was done?
With “inspectors” like this, at least we can take comfort knowing earthquakes are rare…….
Good observation, King fisher. Matter of fact this Kapata/Kapeta must be ashamed to claim they issued the license “on the understanding”!!!!! What nonsense is this? These are people’s lives we are dealing with. There are enough mall collapses around the world to be careful about issuing permits “on the understanding”.
these people are corrupt,this closure is just an after thought ater the collapse of those incomplete malls in latvia and south africa othewise had it not been for these accidents no one would have raised a finger.
Ichisungu!! You people should concentrate on reading papers written in vernacular!!
Council issued a “PARTIAL” OCCUPATION CERTIFICATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good job, PF is really bring back confusion and disorderliness to Zambia..Just what is going on in the Country…
Was the licence issued and revoked by PF or LLC? There’s need to juxtapose the duties of the two and avoid unnecessary politicking.
Issueing a licence to uninspected premises was an error made by LCC and not PF. Revoking of the same is a recomendable job done by LLC again and not PF.
@Cycle Mata. You don’t get praise for rectifying the confusion which you caused in the first place. It doesn’t work like that.
Pick n’ Pay should not have been given the licences in the first place without passing on site inspections. LCC can’t claim not to have not known the state of the building. They are supposed to be on top of things all the time. – Pure incompetence and confusion typical of PF CNP Govt.
Sorry Cycle Mata. I ve seen that we are on the same side. Apologies. Anger blinded me.
Yes, PF is confusion and disorder at its best.
Hope 4 Better
Good use of Justapose and splendid grammar. A rare occurrence on this blog.
You have a fan.
Thanks
Ba Kingfisher u r right. I actually thot the same way when I read the article. These council chaps are too incompetent. Inspect the building before issuing a permit, simple. These chaps never do their homework. I have seen houses in chalala built under zesco poleline while kapata and his incompetent colleagues drive by. It took zesco to launch a complaint and thats when kapata woke up and was everywhere in papers.
What’s the hurry, p’n’p?
To cash in for the festive season. That’s exactly what they did in Kitwe at Copperhill mall.
this so called investors they take Zambians for granted so much all they think is making money not even considering the lives of poor Zambians. well done Lusaka City council
What do you mean “well done”? LCC obviously issued the occupancy certificate without doing an inspection!
…..or maybe from the picture you think LCC could not easily tell whether the building is finished? Most customers in the photo don’t seem to mind.
Spuds, which customers are you referring to. I can see only one man in a jeans. The rest are kids from Mutedere compound playing around.
Mr. Kapata, why even issue any licence when the building was far from completion, and under what conditions do you issue a Partial Occupation Certificate? I smell corruption here.
investors take zambian as a joke and they know they dont need proper invests to start up something, how does the government let such a conglomerate like pick n pay open business in such an unsafe environment, see people, those dinners and lavish dining at the state house are letting the silliest investors slip through. wake up zambia. mama zambia please.
No that’s not the situation,the govt agents the council were satisified before issuing permits then the shop commenced extensions while opened to the public,Bloggers don’t be negative always it very unfortunate…
@Chinyama, same thing – if those extensions were to an extent that they look on the photograph above they should have declared a period of closure to attend to those extensions. Malls are a new ‘gold mine’ and like all things that are discovered to be lucrative, safety and security usually take a back seat. We must not allow that.
Glad this ain’t happening in the MMD era otherwise we’d be accused of circumvention of rules in return for campaign money and corruption.
Gentlemen lets be objective,the building wa ready and inspections conducted & consiquently permits issued, but after opening Pick & pay decided to extend roof while the shop was open to the public hence the govt representatives the council moved in swiftly and acted with out taking bribes from this shop owner.congratulations LCC
Bo Chinyama, you say the building was ready and inspections were carried out. Why were they issued with a Partial Occupation Certificate and not a permanent one?.
CHINYAMA you must be very dull can you answer the question from BANDAWE now
well done..it was not fit for human habitation…
@pompwe this situation is simple that any well thinking citizen can understand.Even your name corrupt our minds,reason with your head please.
Total confusion. In the first place, the Licence was issued, meaning cash was paid, now that the same paper has been revoked, the cash should be refunded too. That will be a fair play not just revoking the licence but the money not returned. That is where people starts to suspect some corruption and alike. Pick n Pay is after money and it’s end of year when most businesses go to their pick time of the year. So to me both the council and Pick n pay are wrong and they should both reverse papers and money period.
Z-mart mall in Ndola is open while works are being carried out. Should they close too?
Good point, they kept Manda Hill open throughout the renovations….. without proper fire exits, emergency lighting, or signage.
We are in a small global village now and matters of Occupational health which refers to the health of the worker both at home and in employment are part of corporate governance. If Manda Hill was allowed to operate whilst under renovations it means somebody did not do his work. It is our duty as citizens to report all safety hazards and unusual or suspicious behavior that could impact on the safety you or others.
There may be a legitimate reasons for Z-mart in Ndola to continue business when renovations are going on, but Ndola City Council have a responsibility to take appropriate action if they are concerned about health and safety, this is not stone age.
Well noted. Even that building opposite Ndola Central Hospital is operating on the ground floor while the top floor and even some parts of the ground floor are being worked on. All councils should therefore take stock of what is hapenning in their towns and harmonise their country-wide decisions to either close or keep open shops operating in incomplete buildings. Problem is ‘cash is king’ especially in Government institutions.
it is like granting a visa to a bin laden after his successful application, then denying him entry into a country because he is on the blacklist.
How do you issue certificates before conducting on-site inspection by professionals?
This is a state of confusion on the powers that be. They know very well that PnP are profit and they are shrewd at that. Why couldn’t they wait till all was done. This is a serious matter and any shopper who has been to the incomplete shopping mall should ensure that they sue for possible danger to their lives. Wish I was in Lusaka
The issue here is why a trading license was issued when the building was incomplete. This shows that no physical inspection was done.
To save face, the council should have secretly talked to PnP to halt operations. Airing this dirty laundry is not good for anyone.
#OneZambia
how do you issue licences before inspection, typical of Zambians. Thats why Zambia shall go no where. Shod jobs every time. I cry mother Zambia. Zambia is really gone to the dogizi
Even a partial occupation certificate should not have been issued. From the picture, the place looks like an interdenomination crusade is just about to take place. LCC, you now know the workers who just issue certificates without going to inspect the site. Deal with them for endangering people’s lives.
But how is the hell does the council issue out an business licence or even partial occupation for a building in this state? Somebody is either incompetent and hence should be fired immediately or lining his pockets. This is disgustingly shocking! Shame of the council!
It is vital that Luasaka City Council maintain high standards of intergrity in everything they do. To protect their reputation it is essential that all their interactions and business dealings are consistent with their values and the principles set out. The values of Health and Safety cannot be under-played, hence the action taken should be appreciate by all concerned citizens.
“We gave them those licences on the understanding that the building was complete and ready for use. However our investigations have revealed that Pick N Pay is still working on the building and yet they have commenced trading,” Mr Kapeta explained.
What a joke of *****s are these, can some fire these maggots who issued a licence without inspections???
PF govt. incompetence is always beyond common sense. When P ‘N’ P was issued with a trading license it was authority to offer goods to the public. If and only if PF govt has any common sense at all, would have concentrated on inspection of trading premises to ensure safety and trading standards to be met before granting them a trading license. This proves PF govt has no track record of running any business on acceptable norms let alone its own party. Fightings and killing each other within the party is evidence of fickleness of PF Sata.
Your analysis has really exposed your ignorance of the operations of the local authorities known as city councils. LCC have employees like Mr. Kapata the Public Relations Manager even from MMD error. These employees perform their functions as per their job descriptions and if there is any failure in the issuing of permits and licenses, then they are accountable as individuals and the current PF government cannot be blamed.
To add insult to injury you and a few others above have misinterpreted the report above to suit your interests. Pick ‘N’ Pay were rightly issued with the licenses, but they abrogated these licenses by commencing new works while operating. The council were notified by observant people and they have rectified the mistake. Nobody should be praised nor cruxified over…
In my second sentence the word “error” was suppose to be “ERA”. A thousand apologies.
Rubbish!! LCC is one of the most incompetent institution in this country, just look at the billboard litter, uncollected garbage, and all the filth around the city. Its typical of them to behave like this. You issue a license then you’re trying to act smart. I have been to that building, even a 2 year old will never an occupational license what ever you call it. Give us a break!!!!
Zambia always dull people making silly decision and they expect us to praise them. what didn’t you check the structure before you gave a permit? it clearly shows some weaknesses in your system of operation and then you transfer the blame to others.
Shame!!!!!! happy 50 years of independence Zambia with such people in authority.
Corruption has just reached levels which are difficult to understand, how was the occupancy certificate given to them? No wonder everyone is building no standards at all.
The City council is also at fault for issuing the trading licences without first checking and verifying the obvious issues. Who issued those licences in the first place, what is the criteria for issuing them. LCC also risked the lives of the citizenry by not following the laid down procedures when issuing licences. You have heard buildings collapsing and killing people in Ghana, Banglashi and recently in Latvia and you still condone this behavior! Luckily nothing has happened yet and go round inspect Kamwala area too!
LCC is to blame. It is an incompetent council with garbage everywhere, no standard of buildings, eg. Residential. LCC should close UNZA for its filth too.
this very poor PR from kapata. He should ve allowed the mall to continue coz kapata’s council is part of the error made in the first place. Why do zambians idolise nonsense such as this from kapata. Does kapata understand wholistically the implications of what he has just mouthed.
No wonder politicians by pass councils coz of their petty thinking. People ve already tested the sweet of it, why stop them. Stop being envious kapata let phi pipo enjoy. soon chikwelete ll order you to open it, mark my word.
IN THE SAME WAY ,ZANACO MONGU BRANCH HAS BEEN OPERATING WHILE RENOVATION ARE BEEN DONE ON THE PREMISES.MONGU MUNICIPAL COUNCIL SHOULD ALSO ACT AND SHUT IT DOWN UNTIL THEY ARE DONE WITH THE WORKS.TAKE A LEAF FROM HARDWORKING MR.KAPATA
“We gave them those licenses on the understanding that the building was complete”
Incompetent sobs!!! Aren’t you supposed to inspect the building before issuing a license to operate?? The level of incompetence in Zambia is dumbfounding…
LEGALLY SPEAKING, PICK’N PAY STANDS ON SOLID GROUND. THEY WERE GIVEN A PERMIT BY THE RELEVANT AUTHORITY TO PROCEED WITH THEIR BUSINESS. AND WHO THE HELL SHOULD SAY THAT THEY ARE OCCUPYING THE BUILDING ILLEGALLY? NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT THE COUNCIL IS TO BLAME FOR BEING SO CORRUPT. AM SURE THEY INFACT INSPECTED THE BUILDING AND WERE BRIBED, AS USUAL AS IN OTHER SIMILAR CASES. BUT BECAUSE A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY SOMEWHERE RAISED THE ISSUE……NOW THAY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
Mr kapata must be a very dull human being. God help us….
BUT MANDA HILL EXPANSION WORKS WERE UNDERTAKEN WHILE TRADING WAS GOING ON IN A VERY UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT. I REMEMBER WRITING LCC COMPLAINING OF THIS BUT TO NO AVAIL..I REMEMBER BUMPING INTO THEN TOWN CLERK AT MANDA HILL DURING THOSE EXPANSION WORKS!
This is good,I stay n south Africa and iwent to a spar shop n rosettenville, ifound they were renovating the ceiling while the shop was open which was Avery dangerous thing to do.the whole place was full of construction equipment which can malfunction at anytime putting innocent lives at stake,good move LCC….
The main problem with the situation is that the contractor failed to meet the deadline. That building is not owned by pick and pay. The owners signed a lease agreement with pick and pay as to when they will occupy the building. That is contractual. But as soon as the owner of the building realised that the contractor wont beat the deadline,the rushed to the council for a partial completion certificate.pick and pay you can see does not come in the picture.so the owner of the building should be sued for loss of business, blah, blah by pick and pay. Twaunfwana
Now see the type of incompetence and corruption chi Sata and his band of PF thugs brought to our land? The voters let chi Sata and his thugs occupy plot 1 before they were given a certificate of well being in their oblongata.
The official who initially issued the licence did not share the ‘nichekeleko’ – hence, the official who was denied the ‘spoils’ has now decided to revoke the licence. This is pending a resolution on the ‘nichekeleko’. Nothing to do with meeting ‘health and safety’ regulations.
This is exactly what shoprite-Kitwe branch is doing and I told my wife to stop shopping with them until they finish whatever alternations they are doing, Thank God I was right! however, why is Mr. bweupe,kamanga and their league in Kitwe letting this unhealthy and dangerous act by Shoprite continue right at their noses without protecting us? Should we wait for sata to visit us like he did in ndeke at presidential guest house for them to work?