Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:52:35 +0000
By Violet Tembo
A SOMALI national at the centre of the `Ndola City Council land wrangle is fuming over portions of his land given out irregularly and has threatened to take legal action against the council.
Mr Kalif claimed he was the legal owner of a piece of land in question which the local authority was allegedly giving out to other members of the public.
He said he was now entangled in a land dispute with local developers after the demolition of some structures built on subdivisions of his piece of land.
He told the Daily Nation that the criminality in land administration at the council has gone to extremes and that even his life has been threatened.
Mr Kalif said issues of illegal land administration were at their peak in Ndola.
“The carelessness of the local authority in land management has brought about anarchy in the city against undeveloped land, and I have received threats to stay away from the land but no amount of intimidation will stop me from developing the land.
“I am a law abiding citizen and have stayed in Zambia for more than forty years, why should I not own land if I may ask? The land is on title under Kalif Estates Limited Company. Anyone can verify these facts at the Ministry of Lands,” he said.
Offer letters issued by the council dated April 2017 indicated that his chunk of land has been subdivided and pieces offered separately to Feston Mudia, Catherine Thole and Lungu Shadrick among others.
He said he lodged a complaint against some people who had encroached onto his titled land to the local authority in 2015, and the council officers carried out the exercise to demolish some illegally constructed structures.
He said before that, the local authority had issued warning letters to developers in the area to stop any construction after an inspection was undertaken by the buildings department on stands number 10650 and 10649 respectively.
He narrated that the findings on site 21 excavated foundations, 3 foundation cast with concrete, 3 completed foundation boxes and 5 heaped concrete stones deposited in various points on his land.
He charged that the local authority also established that Laston Nkonde, the young freedom fighter claiming ownership of the land in question was in the forefront of allocating plots on his land.
He denied involvement in demolition of the structures as it was done under the authority of the council.
“I acquired the plot from an individual who was offered the two stands of land by the local authority. I am only occupying two hectares of the land and not the 25 hectares being mentioned,” he said.
He appealed to the local developers to be sincere because they had been guided by the local authority but that the problem was with the local authority protecting criminals including officers who issued the illegal documents.
“I have not been informed on any changes and my plans I submitted at the local authority clearly state that I intended to put up a milling plant valued at US$1,000,000.
“How do I put up this investment now when am being surrounded by residential plots and some have since moved in? It is a mess, “he said.
A young freedom fighter Mr Nkonde is claiming ownership of over 50 hectares of the land under dispute with the Somali national located in Kaloko light industrial area that it was awarded to him by late President Levy Mwanawasa.
Mr. Nkonde admitted having sold residential plots to developers working hand in hand with some officers from the local authority.
However, Ndola Mayor Amon Chisenga has disclosed that Mr Kalif was the rightful owner of the land.
Last week, Bwana Mkumbwa Member of Parliament Dr. Jonas Chanda charged that it was foolishness for the local authority to demolish structures owned by indigenous Zambians at the expense of paving way for a foreigner.
