By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA
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KITWE Mayor Kelvin Sinyangwe has said the Kitwe City Council (KCC) and the Government are arranging for alternative land for the displaced Mindolo North residents, as a lasting solution.
Hundreds of families in Mindolo North were left homeless following a joint Kitwe City Council (KCC) and State Police operation to demolish houses built on illegally acquired plots more than a month ago.
The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has since provided relief accommodation in form of tents for the affected households and a total of 200 families had been accommodated at the established transit camp within the Helen Kaunda School grounds.
Mr Sinyangwe, who on Wednesday inspected the transit camp with the view to checking how people were coping, said the council was alive to the fact that the displaced Mindolo families were living under unbearable conditions in the tents.
“Regardless of what happened, these are Zambians and there is need to find a lasting solution to their problem,” Mr Sinyangwe said.
He called for calm among the affected families as Government was addressing their situation.
“Don’t be cheated by other people coming through that they will do this and that for you because this problem of homelessness you are faced with is only going to be solved by Government,” he said.
Mr Sinyangwe was particularly saddened to find that children for the affected families had not been going to school ever since they moved to the transit camp.
The mayor, who thanked DMMU and Red Cross for coming to the aid of the displaced Mindolo residents, promised to get back to the transit camp with senior Government officials next week on Monday towards finding a lasting solution.
Meanwhile, the visit by Mr Sinyangwe evoked emotions among some women, who openly wept as they pleaded for urgent help.
The women said they were suffering, while living in tents, which were unbearably cold, especially for the young ones.
Ireen Mukuka, who is one of the leaders for the displaced residents, said their cry was for Government to give them land so that they could revert to normal life.