Maravi

ZLA urges protection of customary land

ZLA urges protection of customary land
By Florence Bupe
Wed 17 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

THE Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) has called for the protection of customary land tenure in the Republican constitution. Appearing before the parliamentary committee on land and agriculture, ZLA executive director Henry Machina said it would be a mistake for policy makers to do away with customary land tenure laws as most poor Zambians cannot afford to own land under statutory law.

Machina said it was prudent for the country to maintain the current dual tenure system as a means of according poor communities an opportunity to own land, which he described as a vital component to poverty reduction.

“There is need to maintain the dual tenure system. Abandoning customary land tenure won’t reduce poverty,” Machina said.

“We need to finalise the formulation of the land policy in a way that promotes the participation of the local community.”

Machina also called for the revision of the Lands Act of 1995 to strengthen the requirements under the framework.

He observed that Zambia had various loopholes in the management of land and this had placed the country in a vulnerable position especially at international level.

“The international community has seen a niche in this country and that’s why some of these so- called investors are able to acquire land, speculate and make money out of it,” he said.

He said government and other authorities in the administration of land needed to revisit the issue of selling land that is not developed.

Machina said the country should devise a system that would ensure value addition to land through development.

He also called for a new framework that would make the acquisition of land under the statutory tenure system cheaper for the local community.

This was in response to Matero member of parliament Faustina Sinyangwe’s concern on the low number of Zambians accessing commercial land.

Machina said currently, the cost of land was too high and beyond the reach of many ordinary Zambians.

“The cost of statutory land is very high, and this in itself is a symptom of a major problem,” said
Machina.

Machina further called for the empowerment of women, whom he said had continued to be sidelined in land allocation.

Labels: FAUSTINA SINGYANGWE, HENRY MACHINA, LAND RIGHTS, ZLA

posted by MrK @ 3:37 PM