Water Affairs minister in land wrangle

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 15:00:24 +0000

BY CHIKUMBI KATEBE

MINISTER of Water Affairs and Development and Matero Member of Parliament Lloyd Kaziya has been embroiled in a land wrangle involving a church in Lilayi area.

Hope for Life Church International registered trustees have dragged the lawmaker to court for aggravated damages for trespass, damages for conversion and mental anguish and inconvenience he has caused over plot number 32539/M Lilayi in Lusaka said to belong to the religion organisation.

According to the statement of claim filed before the Lusaka High Court, Mr Kaziya has also been sued for damages to building tools and materials accusing him of sending his sympathisers to beat up workers and destroy shovels and other goods worth K4, 480.

Hope for Life Church Reverend Ephraim Zulu explained in his submissions that Mr Kaziya in the company of Arthur Banda being the second defendant and other people unknown have caused havoc at the plot where the church was already erecting a security wall fence.

He said this was despite the Church being the legal owners of the land in possession of Land Title No. 24454 issued by the Registrar of Lands and Deeds on 13th August, 2016. “On a day unknown but sometime in August 2016 the 2nd defendant and the other unknown defendants went to the plaintiffs’ property, namely Lot No. 32539/M in Lilayi area and they wrote in a heap of quarry dust that they found there, the words “stop it”. “They left a phone number to a neighbour on the adjacent lot with instructions that the Trustees of Hope for Life Church International should contact him,” he said.

He further explained that after calling the number, the one who answered identified himself as “Honourable Loyd Kaziya” the newly elected Member of Parliament for Matero Constituency. He said he had also applied for the same lot”.

The Reverend has submitted that he explained to Mr Kaziya that Hope for Life Church obtained the land from the Registrar at the Ministry of Lands and Deeds after which they agreed to have a meeting.

He charged that before the meeting could take place, the second defendant, Mr Banda, in the company of other people disturbed construction works at the plot, where they also destroyed some building tools and chased away the workers.