Council sold plots before advertising – NGO

Council sold plots before advertising – NGO

Kitwe, February 14, ZANIS ——– A Non-Governmental Organization dealing in land issues on the Copperbelt has accused Kitwe City Council of advertising already sold plots.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kitwe today, Copperbelt Indigenous Land Rights Network Executive Director Archie Mulunda said the Kitwe City Council recently advertised to sale residential plots which had already been sold to some corporate institutions and a few elites at the expense of poor people who also needed to acquire plots.

Mr Mulunda further said the council has also continued to secretly sale plots in Ndeke despite the temporal suspension of the sale following its failure to properly administer the sale to residents who turned up in large numbers to buy the plots.

He claimed that according to confirmed information held by the NGO, all high cost plots were sold before the advertisement was run in the press.

Mr Mulunda challenged the Council to clear the allegations if really the local authority is clean and tell the nation if the number of plots earmarked for sale in Ndeke and Chamboli are still 900 as initially advertised.

He said the Kitwe City Council has exhibited the highest levels of corruption in the sale of plots which have resulted in only a few elites owning land in the district.

He charged that even the poor people have equal rights as the rich to land ownership.

But Kitwe City Council Public Relations Manager Dorothy Sampa has refuted the allegations by Mr Mulunda saying the local authority has not sold any plot to any institution or individual in the newly opened up Ndeke and Chamboli areas.

Ms Sampa said the sale of plots in the two areas have been suspended following Minister of Lands Wylber Simuusa’s directive for the council to service the areas before allocating plots as well as to enable the council come up with a best method of selling.

She challenged any one who claims to have been sold plots in the named areas to bring up the documents that show that they have been sold plots.