JEAN KAPATA WRITES TO AG OVER ILLEGAL STRUCTURES

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 09:19:05 +0000

By Simon Muntemba

I have written to the Attorney General (AG) to consult him over the illegal structures in Lusaka’s Emmasdale area and once he responds, we will demolish those structures, Lands Minister Jean Kapata has disclosed.

Ms Kapata said the demolition exercise of illegal structures which was halted a fortnight ago will be carried out as soon as the AG Likando Kalaluka responds to her letter. In an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday, Ms Kapata pledged that her Ministry would adhere to the ‘rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution’ in dealing with the administration of land in the country. The Minister said it was wrong for Lusaka City Council to allow people to build on illegally created plots. “Yes we have written to the Attorney General and we are waiting for his intervention and once he responds to us, we will move in to demolish those illegal structures. We will definitely demolish those structures because Lusaka City Council erred by allowing people to build on illegally created plots,” she said. She insisted that government would not allow illegality to continue but they would do it the right way. She said problems illegal of structures require a combination of solutions hence she consulted the AG adding that her Ministry will do everything within the law to solve the immediate as well as the long-term issues affecting land. Ms Kapata added that those that were in the road reserves will also be dealt with once the Road Development Agency concludes its investigations and report to her Ministry. “For those in the road reserves, we will deal with them once the Road Development Agency concludes its investigations and report to us, “We can’t allow this, when there is road expansion then you have nowhere to expand the road because you find there is a wall fence,” Ms Kapata said. She concluded by saying, “the demolition exercise was long overdue.