Thu, 29 Jun 2017 14:07:24 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA
- MARY’S Secondary School Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) have appealed to the Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Lloyd Kaziya to intervene following approval of the construction of a shopping mall near the school by the Zambia Environmental Agency (ZEMA).
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have leased part of the farm land number 2111 on the corner of Chindo and Mutende roads in Woodlands to a private investor to develop a shopping mall, angering the parents who claim the mall will disturb their children.
In a letter of appeal copied to four ministries – General Education, Gender, Local Government and Community Development and Social Welfare – Stein Mkandawire, PTA chairperson for St Mary’s Girls secondary school said the lease number 7121 and certificate of title number L783 (Appex 1) to Novare Property Developers Mauritius Limited should be revoked.
Mr Mkandawire said last year ZEMA issued a notice for public hearing over the construction of the shopping mall and the hearing took place on 4th February, 2017, pupils as well as PTA members of St. Mary’s and many other stakeholders made verbal submissions.
He explained that written submission were made to ZEMA in the same month, but up to date the PTA has not received any feedback from ZEMA regarding both the verbal and written submissions.
“We noticed that the ministries that the General Education and Community Development with Department of Child Welfare and Gender did not make any submissions. We then wrote to ZEMA director general requesting him to share the EIA report appendix 4 but up to now we have not received any feedback from them,” said Mr Mkandawire.
He said the PTA then wrote to the developer Vertigo Properties informing them that ZEMA has reviewed the EIS and based on the information provided by the developer and from written comments received from interested and affected parties and ZEMA’s site verification inspection findings on the decision to EIS had been deferred.
He said the project was deferred pending settlement of legal issues surrounding change of land use of the proposed site and consultation with key stakeholders and the key stakeholders were not mentioned in their letter and the matter on the change of use was wrongly communicated to stakeholders as Chindo and Lincoln Roads in Kabulonga that do not exist, while in actual fact it is situated in Woodlands.
Mr Mkandawire charged that the misinformation was done deliberately to mislead the general public so that there was no objection to the change of land use and its submission was subjected to ZEMA with the view that corrective measure would be put in place.
“Last month we received a shocker that the project that was deferred was now approved. Hon. Minister Kaziya we find it strange that the approval was granted without the finalization of the report. Our considered view and for which we stand is that the report should have been published first and then the contentious issues outlined so that we all have a clear understanding as to how the approval was arrived at. As things stand now we could only speculate that the report was mutilated, hence its non-publication,” he said.
Mr Mkandawire said the press release by ZEMA mentioned Zesco, LWSC, NCCC , RDA, ministries of General Education and Local Government that they did not object to the proposed construction of the shopping mall, but questioned what percent did the two ministries accumulate that will undo the general public.
Mr Mkandawire however said if the proposed construction of the mall was not stopped, then efforts to fight teenage pregnancies and child marriages were in vein as the approval would be reverting these gains.
“Against this background, we appeal to your office to prevail over this matter in order to ensure that the girl child is accorded a conducive learning environment,” he said.
The land in question was given to Dominican Sisters of Rhodesia in 1954 and the agreement between the Catholic Church and the then colonial government said, among others: “The tenant will not utilize or permit to be any building or part thereof to be erected on the piece of land or part thereof for purpose other than religious and educational and purposes ancillary thereof”.
