Wed, 30 Aug 2017 09:36:06 +0000
By Oscar Malipenga
JUDGE Esau Chulu has demanded that Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) immediately stop Shumeite Investments Limited from illegally importing building materials at night for the construction of a controversial shopping mall in Kalundu.
Judge Chulu, who is Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson and a resident of Kalundu Township, said ZEMA was being unfair to residents by not stopping Shumeite Investments Limited because construction of the shopping mall should not even have been allowed in the first place.
This is a matter in which Kalundu resident have opposed plans to construct a shopping mall by a Chinese firm (Shumeite Investments Limited) citing environmental and social security concerns among other contentious issues.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at Cosmic Lodge in Lusaka organised by ZEMA yesterday, Judge Chulu was shocked to learn that ZEMA was aware of the illegal construction of the shopping mall, yet did not issue a protection order.
This came to light when the resident through their lawyers took ZEMA officials to task when they demanded the Agency to categorically state whether they had issued a protection order or not after discovering that the construction of the mall was illegal. The residents also demanded to know what measures ZEMA was putting in place to ensure that no construction activity was taking place at the site.
Another resident, Dr Simon Mulenga told ZEMA that as residents, they were going to fight until the construction of the mall was completely stopped and whatever had been constructed was demolished.
He said Kalundu township was predominantly designed as a residential area and not commercial. “We need investors in Zambia such as Chinese but at the same time they are now beginning to displace us (indigenous) Zambians,” Dr Mulenga said.
“The development is very good but it is being done in a wrong place. This investor should bear with us.”
Meanwhile, Shumeite Investments Limited was taken to task to explain how many jobs they would create before and after the completion of the mall.
Mr Daniel Mbewe, a resident, who is also a contractor, asked Shumeite Investments Limited to also state how many companies would be sub-contracted.
Shumeite Investments Limited said they would create 50 to 60 jobs once the shopping mall was completed.
After a three-hour long discussion, it was resolved that ZEMA would communicate its decision to lawyers representing the residents.
