Ease land acquisition to Zambians

By Pelekelo Liswaniso

If it is difficult for Zambians resident in the country to acquire land, it is almost a nightmare for those living abroad to do so. Yet land is the first factor to consider if one is contemplating investment in property development, agriculture or business.

It is common knowledge that the government and the business community are working hard to develop a conducive environment for doing business in Zambia. The recent developments in the mines and modern shopping malls springing up across the country are there for all to see.

What is of concern, however, is whether ordinary Zambians are also getting a fair share of their own land to enable them to engage in income-generating ventures, including agriculture.

A Zambian economist, Yusuf Dodia, recently observed that some quarters of central and local government have, unfortunately, been extravagant in allocating land to all descriptions of investors, whether local or foreign.

Huge tracts of land have been given out to people and businesses that have sat on these properties only to re-sell them years later at astronomical prices, while local residents cannot access land for domestic and small-scale commercial or agricultural development.

Mr Dodia cites the shores of Lake Kariba from Siavonga right down beyond Maamba, where big chunks of land have been given to people outside the local communities. Many of these pieces of land have not seen a single piece of development in the form of buildings or other infrastructure beyond a simple barbed wire perimeter fence.

This scenario is, in fact, common in most parts of the country where huge tracts of land are left idle for a long time only to be sold to foreign investors with plenty of liquid cash.

Land acquisition by ordinary people is not an easy matter as it is further compounded by the long and arduous procedures one has to follow at the councils, Ministry of Lands or through the traditional rulers.

The directive by President Rupiah Banda to Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane and Minister of Lands Peter Daka to find ways of easing the process of acquiring land, especially for Zambians living abroad, is, therefore, very timely.

Zambia is currently an ideal destination for investment, and financial magnates across the globe target land and other resources for their investments. As the country opens up to the outside world, it is important that indigenous people have access to their own land and are not reduced to hopeless spectators.

Yes, local communities are encouraged to accept and support developments driven by foreign capital as these can lead to improvements in the quality of their lives. But when the people feel that they are mere spectators, they are likely to resent the developments and look for ways of undermining them.

There are also short- and long-term political ramifications of such a situation.
Addressing scores of Zambians living in New York on Tuesday, the President was emphatic that land is valuable and Zambians regardless of where they live should acquire pieces of land for agriculture and other investments. The “big investor” syndrome should not hold sway in perpetuity.

The challenge now is for the relevant stakeholders to do some domestic housekeeping and ensure that strategic planning of land allocation is instituted to enable local people and those in the diaspora to access land without difficulty.

Swine Flu causing havoc in Zambia

By Pelekelo Liswaniso

WE fully understand and appreciate many people’s concern at the increasing number of cases of suspected Swine Flu in the country, especially among school children.

After all, already, health authorities on the Copperbelt have closed Luanshya Trust School after the institution recorded a drastic increase in the number of children suffering from suspected Swine Flu or the H1N1 virus.

At Mpande Girls Secondary School in Kapiri Mposhi, 31 pupils are reportedly quarantined on suspicion that they are suffering from Swine Flu. The situation is the same in Ndola where more than 100 pupils at Ndola Girls National Technical High School were earlier in the week quarantined for suspected HINI infection.

This development is worrying in view of repeated warnings by medical authorities that Swine Flu is highly contagious and has already spread rapidly to 191 countries, starting from America to Europe and Asia and may well be taking its toll on Africa, including Zambia.

What complicates matters is that the signs and symptoms of H1N1 and seasonal flu are very similar and, like with common flu, most persons with H1N1, it is said, may get better even without any specific treatment. Transmission of the virus can, therefore, not easily be stopped.

It is also important to note that in an individual with a normally functioning immune system, the body is capable of effectively fighting off the virus using its own internal defences. But, as reports indicate, the infection could be fatal in individuals with low immunity. And there is evidence that the virus has already claimed lives in Mexico and other parts of the globe.

That’s why many people share the fears expressed by the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba, who said in Kabwe that the situation may get worse if urgent measures are not taken to bring it under control.

In the view of Mr Hikaumba and others, the government should consider temporarily closing all schools countrywide in order to prevent the spread of the Swine Flu.

Experts reviewing the HINI pandemic worldwide, however, point out that closure of schools or public places like cinema halls and malls can only delay, but cannot stop, the spread of H1N1
They argue that closing schools is not a solution because the affected pupils would spread the disease to their families and the communities in which they live.

The experts say a vaccine is the most effective tool for controlling the spread of H1N1.
We think both viewpoints are valid and neither can be dismissed completely. What is needed, and quite urgently, is a careful study of all available options to come up with the most practical, effective, measure to safeguard life and avert the costs associated with treatment and care.

We welcome steps taken by Government to encourage individuals and communities to observe respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene and other measures to protect themselves against the disease. We hope the same zeal will be applied to secure a vaccine because it appears to be the most feasible measure available for controlling the spread of the pandemic.

In the meantime, Government should consider putting up emergency measures to ensure that pupils in examination classes continue learning even in the event that they are quarantined. Otherwise, they will be greatly disturbed and disadvantaged come examination time.