Maravi

Problem of housing is serious - Hikaumba

Problem of housing is serious - Hikaumba
By Bivan Saluseki
Wednesday September 19, 2007 [04:00]

THE problem of housing is very serious, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba has said. Commenting on the case of four police officers who are sharing a three-bedroomed house in Lusaka's PHI residential area, Hikaumba said since there was no one to speak for them, most police officers were either living in dilapidated houses or made to share very small houses.

"It's not fair," he said.

Hikaumba said police officers were supposed to be allowed to join unions so that issues such as housing could be discussed.

“As at now, they can’t complain, they can’t take grievances anywhere,” he said.

Hikaumba said Zambia could take up the South African model where police officers were represented by the union but were not allowed to go on strike.

“The problem of housing is quite serious. Most of the workers are renting,” Hikaumba said.

“The (housing) allowance itself is not enough to meet the rental costs.”

Hikaumba said the highest paid public service unionsed worker got K250,000 per month as housing allowance.

He said such an amount was not even enough to secure a decent lower or middle class house.

Hikaumba said some ministries were not up to date in paying the same meagre allowances.

Hikaumba said despite government doing a head count, which established that some people were not eligible for housing allowance, the problem had not been resolved.
And police sources said senior officers have been tasked to deal with the wrangles among police officers sharing the three-bedroomed house.

“From what we have seen, the problem is between sub-inspector Moonde Kalaluka and constable Lewis Malamba’s sister, Sara Malamba,” one of the sources said.
According to the source, the other police officer constable Joe Sakaumba had been playing the role of a peacekeeper.

The sources said the only way the problem at the house could be resolved was by separating the occupants.

The four police officers are sharing a three-bedroom house in Lusaka’s PHI residential area and family members said it had become difficult to live together because there were fights most of the time.

Kalaluka who is the most senior in the house last week sustained bites on her thumb and a bruised upper lip after her housemate beat her.

The low cost house, plot number 23837, in Presidential Housing Initiative (PHI) residential area is accommodating four police officers, one of them (Kalaluka) married to a traffic police officer with nine family members.

Both home affairs minister Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha and permanent secretary Peter Mumba could not be reached for a comment.

Labels: HOUSING, LEONARD HIKAUMBA, ZCTU

posted by MrK @ 3:52 AM