SEVERAL fishermen and traders who have been living on Jelemiya Island on Lake Kariba have been ejected after a Chinese investor allegedly bought the piece of land from the government.
Over the weekend, a combined team of law enforcement agencies reportedly used force to remove the residents of the island after they initially resisted to move, seriously injuring one.
Mr Ronald Simweemba, a fisherman, said several people were injured while one person was hospitalised after he was battered by law enforcers who left him unconscious.
He also said the police allegedly destroyed their homes and fishing gear.
Mr Simweemba said other fishermen who escaped the beating were still missing.
He appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to intervene and allow the affected people to return to the island as it is their source of livelihood.
But the local authority has defended the eviction saying the island was being used as a conduit for human trafficking into a neighbouring country.
Siavonga Town Council Chairperson, Given Kwapu said in an interview that because of the illegal activities, the island became a national security risk hence the decision to evict people from the island.
He also said the council was finding it difficult to collect revenue from investors who had established aquaculture operations on Lake Kariba because the residents of Jelemiya Island were stealing fish from aquaculture cages.
And Human Rights Defender (HRD) Sam Mawawo called on Government to conduct a land audit and to repossess all islands on Lake Kariba that had been illegally sold to foreigners. He said the locals would continue resisting as long as foreigners continued to buy land around Lake Kariba, which could cause instability around Africa’s biggest manmade Lake.
Mr Mawawo said it was surprising that foreigners were allowed to buy islands on Lake Kariba when it was unlawful to sale islands.
“The islands belong to the indigenous people and whoever is conniving with people in the Ministry of Land to disadvantage the indigenous people should be arrested,” he said
Mr Mawawo said it was unfortunate that the injustice over the administration of land had now been extended to islands, which locals depended on for their livelihood.
Siavonga Island sold?
