Rental madness
Friday, 13 January 2012 00:00
Peter Matambanadzo and Wenceslaus Murape
RENTALS in Harare and its satellite towns have gone up by over 30 percent, with tenants in high-density suburbs worst affected.
This comes as most workers are still negotiating increments with their emp-loyers.
Some tenants are, however, still paying last year's rates.
In Warren Park, charges per room went up to between US$85 and US$120 from US$50. Glen View tenants now pay US$85, up from US$40 per room.
In Marlborough, rentals shot up to US$150, from US$70 per room.
A bed-sitter in the Avenues now co-sts US$300, from US$200, while a one-bedroomed flat now costs over US$360, up from US$300.
A two-bedroomed flat now costs US$500 from US$350 and US$400 per month.
In Marondera, Norton and Chitungwiza rentals went up to around US$65 per room, up from between US$30 and US40 per month.
Full houses in areas like Mt Pleasant have gone up to a maximum of $3 000 from $2 500.
A property manager attributed the increases to tenants offering more to secure accommodation.
"When you advertise a property, you usually find that someone offers more than the asking price to make sure that they get it.
"As a result, you peg the rental value of all other similar properties on that new price and the trend just spreads in the whole area."
The Herald has been inundated with calls from tenants complaining over the increases in rentals against the backdrop of stagnant incomes and stable prices for basic commodities.
"The increase in rentals is unjustified. Landlords just wake up and tell you they have increased rent. I was sent a text message by my landlord saying with effect from January 1 my new rent would be US$365 from US$300 for a one-bedroomed flat in the Avenues. No reason was given for the increase," one tenant said.
Another angry tenant from Marondera Mr Samuel Nyakudya of Nyameni suburb said his rentals had been increased by US$80.
"I told him (my landlord) that nothing has gone up and the increase is not justified. He claimed that whenever it's a new year, rentals should go up, whe-ther salaries have not been reviewed or not."
In September last year Government threatened to freeze residential rentals to protect tenants.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Giles Mutsekwa warned landlords that his ministry would effect a blanket freeze on increases but no action has been taken.
Meanwhile, a visit to the Rent Board proved that the institution remains underutilised.
An officer at the RB said: "It's surprising that tenants are still ignorant of the functions of the Rent Board.
"They should understand that it's a tribunal with the mandate to deal with disputes and also acts as a special court.
"We can come to their aid if they feel the rental increases are not justified," said the officer.
He said disgruntled tenants have the right to approach the Rent Board with complaints ranging from illegal evictions to unwarranted rental increase.
Tenants are protected by the Rent Regulations, Statutory Instrument 32 of 2007 that was gazetted in terms of the Housing and Building Act.
There are over 500 000 people on the housing waiting list with only a few being able to buy or build houses in any given year.
Accommodation agents have also cashed in on accommodation seekers with most charging $20 for a client to access their list of properties.
Labels: HOUSES, HOUSING
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Ndola council decided to sell houses before Chiluba went to cheat – Mushili
By George Chellah
Fri 12 Feb. 2010, 03:52 CAT
NDOLA Central PF member of parliament Mark Mushili has disclosed that the Ndola City Council had decided to sell the houses to sitting tenants long before Frederick Chiluba went to cheat them.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mushili dismissed Chiluba's attempts to hoodwink tenants of Itawa flats and Chinese complex in Masala that he would talk to President Banda to sell the houses to them.
“As usual he wanted to dribble politically as a political engineer as he calls himself,” Mushili said.
“But I want to inform the public that when Chiluba came he visited the sitting tenants of Itawa flats and sitting tenants of a Chinese complex in Masala during which period he told them that during the time he was a president, he promised them that he was going to offer the houses to them for sell and that he was going to talk to President Rupiah Banda to consider giving the same to the sitting tenants.”
Mushili emphasised that it was not the decision of Chiluba to offer the houses to the sitting tenants.
“This is the matter that has been vigorously discussed in the council that these houses should be given to the sitting tenants because the council hasn't got the capacity to maintain the houses and the flats,” Mushili said.
“And this is why the sitting tenants had resisted to accept increases in rentals because the houses, some of them, are in a dilapidated condition. We accepted that as a council since we cannot maintain the houses we decided that we must ask the Minister of Local Government and Housing to revoke the instrument that was there that stopped us as a council to offer houses for sale.
“So we have been discussing this. Now Chiluba came across this information and went and pre-empted that by coming out in the public that I am going to fulfill the promise, this is not so. It's a decision of a council. Besides, who is Chiluba now?”
He stressed that credit should go to the councillors.
“In this particular case, it is the councillors who have decided that the local government minister revokes the standing instruments so that those houses are offered to sitting tenants,” said Mushili.
“It's a council decision to offer the houses to sitting tenants and not Chiluba. If this materialises, people should not be cheated that it is because of the promises that Chiluba made before he left presidential office."
Labels: CHILUBA, HOUSES, MARK MUSHILI, NDOLA CITY COUNCIL
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Govt in new housing drive
Herald Reporter
Government has been partnered by the private sector to ensure the completion of the construction of houses and flats for home seekers under the pay-for-your-house scheme. The project has seen work on the 500 housing stands in Marimba, 70 houses in Tynwald Lot 1, nine blocks of flats in Budiriro and another 200 residential stands in Chadcombe.
Under the new arrangement that is already being implemented, Government is providing land, which constitutes 30 percent shareholding, while the private sector is providing building material and labour.
Once the houses are completed and priced, the first offer for refusal would be given to people who were subscribing to the scheme and if they do not show interest the houses would be sold to other beneficiaries on the council housing waiting list.
The acting director of housing in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Mr Special Sibanda, said Government had engaged the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe to construct an additional two blocks of flats to house 32 families in Highfield along Willowvale Road.
"All the material for the two blocks have been bought. Workmen are already on site," he said.
A visit to the site confirmed that work was already in progress with foundation trenches already dug and construction workers busy.
"Once complete the flats would be sold to members of the public with the first offer of refusal being given to people who were already contributing to the scheme," he said.
Mr Sibanda said engaging the private sector was part of the national housing delivery programme which seeks to involve as many partners as possible to widen the implementation base.
Mr Sibanda said a number of projects in Harare have benefited from the new scheme and that Government had engaged Develop-It Zimbabwe to complete nine blocks of flats in Budiriro.
The company will also work on Lot 4 in Tynwald while Central African Building Society had also been roped in to service 500 residential stands in Marimba.
He said Government had also engaged the Civil Service Housing Development Company and Genesis Bank and Zimre to build over 70 houses in Tynwald Lot 1 for civil servants.
The Herald news crew also visited the site yesterday and discovered that some of the houses are ready for occupation.
Some of the houses are steel fabricated.
Another 200 residential stands are being developed in Chadcombe under a similar arrangement.
Labels: HOUSES, ZIMBABWE
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‘SA builds 2,4 million houses’
CAPE TOWN. The South African government has put roofs over the heads of some 12 million citizens by building 2,4 million houses since the end of apartheid in 1994, the housing minister said yesterday. While the backlog remained huge, the annual production of state-sponsored housing rose from 252 000 units to 272 000 in the past year, Lindiwe Sisulu told MPs during a debate on her department's annual budget.
"When you consider that the average poor household consists of five people, this would mean we have housed more than four times the population of Cape Town," she said.
Sisulu said the government had now produced more houses than the number of people still requiring them — 2,2 million individuals in total. "This is the first time in our history that our backlog has been less than the number of houses produced.
"This in effect means we are now over the apex, steadily we are overcoming our greatest challenge," she said.
The South African government aims to eradicate shack dwel-lings by 2014, but delivery has been hamstrung by slow and often shoddy construction. — AFP.
Labels: HOUSES, SOUTH AFRICA, THE HERALD
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Zambian emeralds
By Chisakulo E.K,Kitwe
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
The Business Post (13/02/07) covered a short story on Gemfields Resources Plc revealing a rise in sales revenue to US1m worth of emeralds produced from their mine.
This is one of the few companies in our gemstone mining sector which is transparent enough to disclose information and probably uphold the principles of corporate governance through disclosure (reporting productive activities to authorities).
Zambia has some of the best emeralds in the world, and yet there are no benefits accrued from these gemstone mining activities because this sector is characterised by players (mostly foreigners) who are busy draining the country of the much-needed foreign exchange earnings. This is a sector we could rely on in the event that the base metal (copper) prices plummet.
The aspect of value addition and beneficiation for the emeralds has been acknowledged by the government as evidenced in the setting up of the gemstone processing and lapidary training centre in Ndola.
However, the government needs to go further by strengthening the legislative and regulatory framework for the gemstone mining sector. This should ensure that there is enhanced reporting on productive activities as well as enforcement of marketing measures to check foreigners who have for a long time dominated illegal marketing activities of the Zambian emeralds.
The mining footprints left in Kafubu block cannot be matched with the contemptible US dollar figures officially declared to the government considering the highly priced nature of the Zambian emeralds abstracted. It is not too late for the government to curb repatriation of revenue from our country by some of these underground economic activities.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23927
Road project in Mbala
By Godfrey Mambwe
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
I want to commend the government's efforts in spear-heading the project to tar several short-distance roads within Mbala township. The project, which is still in its initial stage has indeed been long overdue.
It is hoped that the project, which has raised a great deal of anxiety and expectations, will not eventually be a white elephant. We have witnessed certain projects commence and later on abandoned because someone somewhere has not been responsible, or did not closely watch the vultures that take advantage of public funds. Otherwise, the recent development in Mbala township is rather progressive and the beginning of more good things to come. What is rural development if these critical issues of development are not taken into account by the government? Bravo the government!
However, I must be quick also to express my disappointment at the failure to consider tarring the road leading up to Mbala General Hospital. This institution should have been critical during the planning. While it is true that this project has a specific budget, failure to make this inclusion is on indication of little or no value being attached to this great institution.
I mean, who does not know how inhuman it is to drive patients, particularly maternal cases from long distances, on these bad roads that are within the hospital vicinity? It is never too late to consider how well this important institution can be serviced in terms of road infrustracture.
Many other roads in Mbala still remain in bad state and almost impassable especially at this time of the year. I implore our councillors, the MP and the authorities that be to rise to the occasion and seriously consider road infrastructure as issues of development.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23922
Corrupt deeds
By Fred Mubanga
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
My heart bleeds every time I read or see destruction of the so-called illegal structures. Desperate poor people who have no connections to the powers that be end up buying land from wrong people.
The government and local authorities can handle the matter in a more respectable and humane manner. It takes years to erect a structure and our authorities took minutes to bring them down.
Let’s be concerned with the 80 per cent poor Zambians especially when we read that leaders declare billions for themselves.
Posterity will judge them and remember that the Bible declares is what we sow what we shall reap.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23920
Let's support Levy
By Christopher Sichinga
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
I read, last Friday, about former lands minister, Kapijimpanga’s message to the President with great disappointment. Disappointed in the sense that she should have properly advised His Excellency the President on such matters. It is, however, gratifying that the President responded well to her letter.
We must support such progressive leadership. For once we should salute the President for his uprightness in the way he handled this matter. I hope the other political leaders will learn something from the President's action.
I must end by advising the leadership privileged to be close to the President to stop unnecessarily putting pressure on the President but provide support to him in line with his vision of zero tolerance on corruption.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23924
Finance Bank management
By Banker
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
I am disappointed with the response by Finance Bank Management on the leakage of information on the President's personal account published in The Post of Thursday March 15, 2007. In the article in question, the bank management appears to be blaming Sata for the leakage
I would like to remind Finance Bank management that politics is a game of mud and stone slinging to gain mileage. In this case, Sata being a politician, he will use any useful information he stumbles upon to expose his opponents for his political gain.
Instead of blaming Sata, Finance Bank management should blame the mole within the system who leaked the information. Banking ethics demand that information on customers' accounts must be jealously guarded and should not be availed to any person not authorised to have such information. This goes to show that their system has been infiltrated.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23925
Corruption in job deployment
By Temwani
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
I want to air my views in your well renowned paper. The nation really appreciates your vigorous approach towards wiping out corruption in government and public organisations.
However, I have noticed that not much has been said about corruption in job deployment. You may wish to know that there are a lot of qualified and vibrant young Zambians out there who are unemployed not because they are unqualified, but because they don’t know the 'big guns' in these organisations.
I believe it is only your paper which can bail out these unfortunate young men and women. Nowadays , there is even a saying 'Uziba ndani?’ If you don't know the right people in the right organisations, you can apply for one million jobs and not be shortlisted for any of them even though you meet the requirements.
Please, away from the politics and confrontations, we are appealing to you to expose the corrupt human resource personnel in some of these government, quasi government and private institutions. You will be amazed how much nepotism, tribalism and 'Uziba ndani' exists in this country.
This is a time bomb which will have a very bad impact in future. Please help this nation have the right people in the right positions, on merit. It seems job adverts are now just a formality. Investigate and you will find the truth.
Concerned youth
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23904
Corruption investigations
By Concerned citizen
Friday March 16, 2007 [02:00]
I want to air my views on the ongoing land issues bordering on corruption. It is hard to understand what corruption is.
To start with I would like to refer you to the editorial comment several days ago which stated that it was not enough to fire or suspend officials at lands to curb corruption,
The law on allocation of land should be revisited because I am made to believe that there is no procedure that any commissioner has been following which is law from time immemorial, so I am wondering what these investigations are being bordered on.
The President is a lawyer who best understands these issues, he shouldn’t just wake up and make decisions to seal the ministry and fight corruption. What is it that those officials at the ministry have done today that has not been done by others before and will continue being done?
Mwanawasa himself should be investigated as well, the evidence is there at lands which I am sure those aggrieved officials are willing to give especially that it is seen as a crime for Nyirongo and Sichone’s families.
The President should put his house in order before he can sacrifice some unfortunate officals. Let justice not discriminate. We all know that there is so much political influence at that ministry so let a new law be put in place because others have been corrupt and will continue being corrupt with the current situation.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23929
Sata and Mugabe
By JJ, Lusaka
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
It is interesting to recollect after having sensed victory in the just-ended elections, Michael Sata declared that he wanted Robert Mugabe to be the guest of honour at his inaugration. He had in fact hitherto declared Mugabe his hero.
Consequently, I would be interested to learn from Sata what he thinks of the brutality unleashed recently by Zimbabwe security forces on Mugabe’s political opponents. Morgan Tsvangirai's sorry state was seen by all around the world which would make one conclude that only barbarians are capable of such savagery. So Sata and Scott, is Mugabe still your hero?
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23921
African democracy
By Clergyman
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]
I could not believe my eyes when I saw on BBC news how the law enforcers beat up the Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his supporters.
This kind of politics is discrediting the little efforts African countries are making to bring about democracy not only as a show to the West but unto ourselves as Africans. Such acts are barbaric, retrogressive and unpalatable in modern times. First it was the farms and now Mugabe and his minions have turned the heat on their own fellow countrymen and women.
Mugabe, should not forget that at one time he was a refugee and he certainly knows how it feels to be oppressed. The freedoms that he fought for whilst in exile are the freedoms he must uphold in a once progressive stable Zimbabwe, which lies in tatters now with inflation running at almost 1, 700 per cent.
Therefore, he must not take them (freedoms) away from his people. No wonder they say the oppressed can turn out to be the worst oppressors and we are definitely seeing it with Mugabe. What is happening now in Zimbabwe is basically apartheid rule except that this time around its blacks oppressing blacks and some pockets of whites still leaving in there. Mugabe must not hide behind the veil of sovereignty of the country. Human rights are human rights and their violation anywhere on the globe must be condemned outrightly.
This is also the time for the African Union (AU) to rise to the occassion; challenge and condemn what is happening in Zimbabwe. I thought the transformation from OAU to AU would bring about tough measures not only to coup plotters but to governments that take freedoms away from their people. We fought apartheid with one voice despite South Africa being a soveriegn state. Why? because our brothers and sister were suffering. Why can’t we do the same with this oppressive old man.
If the latest agenda for the AU to form a 'United States of Africa' in the future is to become a reality, we must already start getting serious with oppressive regimes all over africa to realise the 'USA' dream.
Let’s not treat such regimes with kid gloves and show that the AU means business, and nothing else and that the change of name was not about wearing a new overcoat with old characteristics.
I urge Mugabe to take a leaf from Mandela's words when he came out of prison: "I have come out of prison to liberate both the oppressed (blacks) and the oppressors (whites)" (Long Walk to Freedom).
Mugabe, you were liberated in exile, you liberated your country now it’s time and the hour has come for you to liberate your own people, period! Africa twa sebana pafula!
Labels: CORRUPTION, EMERALDS, HOUSES, LAND, LETTERS, ROADS, ZIMBABWE
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LCC to demolish illegal structures in Kalikiliki
By Patson Chilemba
Thursday March 01, 2007 [02:02]
LUSAKA City Council (LCC) town clerk Timothy Hakuyu has disclosed that the local authority will be demolishing illegal structures in Kalikiliki compound in the next three days. But some Kalikiliki residents have warned of 'total war' against any move by the council to destroy their buildings.
Commenting on the seven-day ultimatum issued by local government minister Sylvia Masebo last week on the destruction of illegal structures between Kalikiliki and Ibex Hill suburb, Hakuyu said the council could not move in immediately because they were still putting in place necessary logistics. "On the seven-day ultimatum, I approached the minister (Masebo) that we needed to put in place necessary logistics. But it is within a matter of days and not weeks that we shall be moving in. It won't take more than three days from now," said Hakuyu.
But some Kalikiliki residents, who chose to remain anonymous, warned that any attempt to destroy their structures would result in unending war. They said just as the LCC and police were mobilising, so were they. They warned that any attack against them and their structures would be met by 'very stiff' opposition.
Masebo last week instructed LCC and the police to demolish illegal buildings in the area between Kalikiliki and Ibex Hill suburb in Lusaka within seven days. During a tour of the area that has been encroached by squatters in Kalikiliki, Masebo said there was need to move in quickly before the situation got out of hand. She said Zambia had abundant land hence there was no need for people to scramble for land in Lusaka. "What is happening in Lusaka is very bad," Masebo said.
She said some unscrupulous male youths were going round selling plots for K800,000 and telling the buyers that they should construct houses within three weeks failure to which the council would repossess the land. Masebo said there was need for the council to increase the number of inspectors that would regularly monitor and ensure there were no illegal allocations of plots.
She warned that whoever bought illegal plots should know that a time would come when the structures they constructed would be demolished. Masebo said Zambia was the only country where foreigners came and acquired land and market stalls at the expense of citizens.
However, Masebo blamed some Zambians for selling land to foreigners.
Labels: HOUSES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SYLVIA MASEBO
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Demolishing Kalikiliki
By Editor
Thursday March 01, 2007 [02:00]
IT is sad that in the midst of these downpours, structures in Kalikiliki compound will be demolished in the next three days. We appreciate the irritations of our city council authorities over these illegal structures in Kalikiliki. But we shouldn’t approach this problem of squatter settlements as a social evil that has to be eradicated. We say this because such a confusing and knee-jerk reaction and attitude towards squatter settlements will not help the more basic question of adequate housing for all.
For the millions of our poor people, urban areas will continue to be a means for improving their quality of living and environment, besides getting better jobs and income.
This will always be in contrast to deteriorating conditions in our rural areas that have generated a considerable flow of migrants to cities. Of course urban migrants’ priorities change over time, depending on the various conditions that they find themselves in. But one of the first dilemmas they face and which persists for a long period, is the question of an adequate house. With little resources, financial or otherwise, skills or access to them, the drastic option of illegally occupying a vacant piece of land to build a rudimentary shelter is the only one available to them. The problem is further compounded by the apathy and even anti-apathy of various government agencies which view the development of squatter settlements as an evil, a crime.
Considering the magnitude and scale of the housing deficit and lack of concerted action or inadequate response from government agencies, there is no doubt of the positive role that squatter housing plays in housing the millions of poor families. The main question of land ownership and over-utilised infrastructure and services will, however, always remain unanswered.
This problem did not start today. The UNIP government tried to deal with it. Michael Sata as Chiluba’s local government and housing minister tried to deal with it. We can say successive generations of governments have tried to deal with it and adopted a number of approaches in trying to find a solution to the dilemma of squatting.
The UNIP government adopted the popular approaches of settlement upgrading and sites-and-services.
There is no doubt squatter settlements in our urban areas are an inevitable phenomenon. As long as urban areas offer economies of scale and agglomeration economies, our large cities will always continue to grow, attracting migrants from rural and smaller urban areas, leading to more squatting.
There is no quick-fix solution, universal or otherwise, that can solve all the problems of squatting in all parts of our country.
Considering the inevitability of squatting, the need is primarily for a change in attitude towards squatting, squatters and squatter settlements. What is needed is an enabling approach, where instead of an attitude of confrontation, we strive to create an enabling environment, under which people, using and generating their own resources, could find unique solutions for their housing and shelter problems.
The key question to be asked here is: Why do our people squat? Someone can say it is because there is an illegal sale of plots. Yes, this may be true but there is much more to it than this simple corruption. There is the question of people not having adequate financial resources and other collateral required to legally settle themselves. There is also the question of the high cost of land and other housing services, apathy and anti-pathy on the part of the government to assist them, high acceptable building standards and rules and regulations; lop-sided planning. These reasons leave no option for the low-income household but to squat on a vacant piece of land.
It should be our task to give millions of Zambians, especially the poor, an essential piece of dignity in their lives - the dignity that comes from having a solid roof over one’s head, running water and other services in an established community.
The state should provide sites with the basics of electricity, water and sewerage and a foundation. But the responsibility for putting a roof over people’s heads should depend on mobilising the sweat equity of our people themselves. In saying this, we are not advocating the dishing out of free houses. That can’t work; it hasn’t worked anywhere even under the best socialist programmes. We can’t build an economy or a society purely on the basis of entitlement. People have to make a contribution. They have to have a sense of ownership which they don’t get from being given blocks of rented accommodation which they don’t own, don’t have a stake in and haven’t helped design and build.
We do appreciate the problems and challenges the leadership of our city councils are facing over this problem of squatting. We also understand their impotence given the magnitude of this problem countrywide. But there is need to deal with this problem in a more humane and compassionate way. Demolishing illegal structures and leaving people without shelter in the middle of a season of heavy rains may appear to be too cruel. Unless we have somewhere to take them, let us wait until the end of the rainy season.
As we have already stated, this is a very big and complex problem for which neither ourselves nor anyone else has magic solutions. It therefore requires a lot of level-headedness, calm minds and compassion.
There is no need for panic solutions because this problem didn’t start yesterday nor is it going to end tomorrow - regardless of how many structures we demolish in a punitive manner in the middle of rainstorms. We are not criticising anybody, we are merely raising concerns; we are looking at the human factor and the options available for our affected people who happen to be invariably poor and voiceless. This is not a simple problem, it is a complex one requiring a lot of thought and meditation.
Labels: EDITORIAL, HOUSES, SYLVIA MASEBO
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Zambia’s economy
By Mubanga
Saturday February 17, 2007 [02:00]
President Mwanawasa has been talking about corruption for too long. The recent one being K3 trillion which he later 'corrected' to be 36 billion stolen. Is mere talking about corruption enough? Where are you learned people to help in explaining what is going on in our country?
I briefly heard finance minister Magande also saying that the ministers are not corrupt, the corrupt are those service-providers who pay bribes to ministers to help them win contracts. I feel that something is wrong here. Shakafuswa we need to see your muscle, not just blind us with hard talk just to be deflated...
In our country from the head of state to senior ministers, there are many contrasting views and pronouncements which need our learned people to take this government to task. I just wonder the purpose of this pronouncements. Are these mere threats knowing that the people involved either know too much about the other deals that everyone else in (top) government positions keeps doing at the expense of Zambians?
The Vice President also said something in Livingstone regarding workers not being used to turn against investors! All the talk is fishy! Why shouldn’t the government protect its people from cruel investors? Why shouldn’t the government take action on thieving ministers? In the recent past, we heard and we know that something has been swept under the carpet! Come on show us your integrity and simply resign! Corruption is corruption regardless who is involved!
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=22713
Building Levy’s house
By Gilbert Wandi
Saturday February 17, 2007 [02:00]
It was interesting to read in The Post of Friday 16th February that the government wants to build President Mwanawasa’s retirement house before he leaves office. Now, please, I need to be educated on this issue: does our Constitution say that the government should build a retirement house for an incumbent president or one that has already retired?
I really wonder why the government is in such a hurry when president Mwanawasa still has slightly over four years before he retires. In any case, former President Kenneth Kaunda and founding father of the nation retired in 1991 but his house is yet to be completed.
The construction of his house has been progressing at a snail’s pace with the result that the man has been living like one who never did anything important for this nation. History will judge this country harshly for decisions that are made out of selfishness without consideration for others.
Is the hurry in building President Mwanawasa’s house founded on some perceived fear that he might not complete his term of office? Or is it out of sheer greed and crass selfishness? Or that he is not sure about the treatment he will get from his successor given his track record?
One of Zambia’s governance tragedies is that its institutions, including Parliament, are too weak to check wrong and senseless executive decisions.
Labels: CORRUPTION, HOUSES, LETTERS
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Govt to build Levy a house before he retires
By George Chellah
Friday February 16, 2007 [02:00]
WORKS and supply minister Kapembwa Simbao yesterday said the government wants to build President Levy Mwanawasa's retirement house before he leaves office. Simbao justified the allocation of K1 billion to President Mwanawasa's retirement house by finance minister Ng'andu Magande. "It's for designing, preparations and all that goes with it," he said.
Asked whether money would continue being allocated to the project until President Mwanawasa finishes his final term, Simbao responded: “Yes! We want to build him a house. There isn’t enough time. You have seen what has happened to Dr Kaunda (first Republican president) and Dr Chiluba also. So the same might happen to him. We want to build him a house,” Simbao said. “So once the design is made and everything is agreed to, that’s when everything will be done.” He said the government also intends to construct houses for President Mwanawasa’s two predecessors. “From the scarce resources we have we want to first build Dr Kaunda’s house, then Dr Chiluba and the President’s house as well,” Simbao said. “These are just one year projects, it’s just a question of money being available.”
And Simbao said the designs for former president Frederick Chiluba’s house were ready. “The designs are ready and they were taken to him the other day. I don’t know the exact day but they were taken and he has them,” Simbao said. “He has the designs and he is just waiting for someone from here (Ministry of Works and Supply) to go and meet him since he requested. So he is just waiting for the person from here to meet him.”
In this year’s budget, Magande has allocated K1 billion towards President Mwanawasa’s retirement house. Magande further allocated K4billion towards Dr Kaunda’s incomplete retirement house, which has not been finished since the government embarked on the project several years ago. Magande has also allocated K2billion to Chiluba’s incomplete retirement house.
Labels: CORRUPTION, HOUSES, MAGANDE, MWANAWASA
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