Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:44:08 +0000
DECISIVE action taken against Ndola City Council in the recent days and weeks is commendable and we hope this is a timely warning to other local authorities across the country particularly the Lusaka City Council.
It started with the Land and Natural Resources Minister Jean Kapata revoking the land agency of both Ndola City Council and Kabwe Municipal Council for failure to adhere to stipulated guidelines and procedures in land management falling within their respective jurisdictions.
Last Saturday, the Local Government Service Commission sent four Ndola City Council directors from the departments of legal, administration, planning and housing on forced leave and more than 100 employees are earmarked to be transferred.
However, transferring the Town Clerk and other employees may not be the best cure to the scourge as it only entails shifting the problem to another Council.
Suspending such officials for a specific period of time while investigations are conducted and subsequently dismissing those found wanting is more assuring that sanity will return to the local authorities. Affirmative action is what is needed to weed out corrupt individuals that are perpetrating illegality in the local authorities.
For instance, the impunity with which the Lusaka City Council (LCC) administration, legal and planning departments have obstinately disregarded adherence to the Urban and Regional Planning Act No.3 of 2015 is too costly to ignore.
Last week, contradictory statements emerged between LCC Town Clerk and Director Planning department over construction of the controversial Kalundu shopping mall.
On one hand, the Director Planning department halted and instructed Shumeite Investment Limited, an exclusively owned Chinese company, to demolish the four-storey shopping mall for want of prerequisite clearance.
Barely after 24 hours, Lusaka Town Clerk reversed the order paving way for construction to continue despite knowing well that the Chinese company flouted the provisions of the law. Unfortunately, this is a position the mayor of Lusaka seems to support.
In a botched attempt to conceal this illegality, two contradictory public notices which show different duration during which the members of the public should have submitted proposals either for or against the construction project have since been mounted at the construction site, thereby exposing the dirty tricks bare.
As though Shumeite Investment Limited disregard for non-compliance with the Urban and Regional Planning Act No. 3 of 2015 does not expose the compromised officials at LCC, the National Council for Construction (NCC) halted the project on 23rd June, 2017 because it has not been registered as per requirement of Statutory Instrument No. 39 of 2015 and that no consultants such as architects, engineers and quality surveyors were engaged to supervise the said project.
We are equally aware that NCC inspectors visited another site where a five-storey building under construction by a Mr. Heng Xin on plot No. 25084, Off Katima Mulilo Road in Olympia Park was discovered not to have conformed to any legal prerequisites.
In the face of all this shambolic issuance of construction permits by the LCC, surely the Town Clerk and some LCC directors must be held to account and be made to show cause why punitive measure should not be taken against them.
Is this not a probable case for investigation and firing all those officers found wanting?
The procedural irregularities that the two Chinese construction sites in Lusaka have revealed are a tip of an iceberg. The prevailing status quo at LCC raises grave concern. The sooner decisive action is taken to stop this wanton disregard for laid down procedure the better for the quality construction of building around the capital city.
Therefore, we urge the Ministry of Local Government to seriously consider shaking up the LCC management so that sanity returns to the manner in which construction works are undertaken within the capital city.
