Squatters in Kalulushi refuse to move
Squatters in Kalulushi refuse to moveBy Zumani Katasefa
Friday May 11, 2007 [04:00]
KALULUSHI town clerk Maxwell Kabanda has said squatters at Sabina located at the Kalulushi-Mufulira junction have refused to move from the area where the Chinese investors are constructing a multi-million dollar smelter. In an interview on Wednesday, Kabanda said the squatters' resistance to move was unreasonable because the local authority had already found alternative land for them.
"There are about 200 squatters on that land, we have looked for land where they should settle but they are being uncooperative," he said.
He said it was unfortunate that the squatters were resisting to move even when the Chinese had promised to construct a clinic for them at the new site.
Kabanda said the land the squatters were occupying belonged to NFC plc and title deeds had been given to the same company.
He said when the squatters where asked to move out of the land to pave way for the construction of the smelter, they started asking what would happen to their mango and banana trees.
"Those are squatters and they do not deserve to be there, the land in question legally belongs to NFC plc," he said.
Kabanda said the Chinese had pumped in about US$800 million for the construction of the smelter.
Labels: SQUATTERS
posted by MrK @ 4:39 AM
3 Comments:
" "Those are squatters and they do not deserve to be there, the land in question legally belongs to NFC plc," he said. "
And yet, they still have to live.
Makes you wonder whether they were compensated for losing their livelihoods.
And who does he think these 'squatters' are?
"He [Maxwell Kabanda] said when the squatters where asked to move out of the land to pave way for the construction of the smelter, they started asking what would happen to their mango and banana trees."
Considering that a mango tree takes from 3 to 5 years before being sufficiently mature to produce fruit, and may continue to produce for another 40 to as much as hundreds of years, I would have to guess that the "squatters" have been in place for quite some time.
It would be useful to know if they will be granted title deeds to the "alternative land" provided by the local authority, or if they should be prepared to be uprooted again in the near future even if the "new site" proves viable for their needs.
I am also curious as to who held title to the land prior to its transfer to NFC Africa plc. Hopefully there will be some journalistic follow up to the original article, beyond a single interview (presumably by telephone as no "eyes on" testimony is offered by the author) with Mr. Kabanda.
The article could do with a lot of follow-up, and some input from the 'squatters' themselves.
Shouldn't it be standard to try and get all points of view? At least that used to be the standard at the BBC, a VERY long time ago.
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