Mon, 03 Apr 2017 12:34:53 +0000
LANDS Minister Jean Kapata has said Government will not sell institutional houses at the Zambia Forestry College (ZFC) to sitting tenants because the college needs them to accommodate its employees.
Ms Kapata said, instead of selling the institutional houses to sitting tenants, the Government would rehabilitate them so that they could accommodate those who were joining the institution as workers in various sections.
The Lands Minister was speaking on Saturday when she met the community at the college who were asking Government to either sell them the houses which were in dilapidated state so that they rehabilitate them or allocate them pieces of land within the forest.
“Government is not going to sell institutional houses at this college because doing so is like selling the institution itself. These houses are for workers of the institution. If we sell these institutional houses, where are we going to accommodate those who will be employed by the institution?
“What I can say is that, as government, we will try to see where we can allocate you some pieces of land. I will sit down with the principal of the college to find out if there is a piece of land which could be given to you. I promise to look into your issue in less than two months,” Ms Kapata said.
She said if land was to be given to the community of the Forestry College, then it should be shared equally with women getting 50 percent and men the other 50 percent.
Earlier, before the Minister addressed the community at the college, representative of the community Godwin Muhabi said the community at the college was asking Government to give them pieces of land for various purposes because squatters have ravaged the forest.
Mr Muhabi said it was sad that while the community in the area was following the law by not squatting in the forest and wreaking havoc through indiscriminate charcoal burning, some people had continued to ravage the forest.
“We have been law abiding citizens and this is why we don’t want to go into gazetted forests to do charcoal burning or cultivate, but the problem is that by being law abiding, we are losing out. So, before the forest is completely ravaged by squatters, it is only fair that Government gives us some pieces of land in the forest,” Mr Muhabi said.
And college Principal Richard Banda said the community of the college has tried its best to safeguard but it has been difficult that the squatters and charcoal burners have been coming in big numbers.
