. Kapeya

By CHUSA SICHONE –
LANDS, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Minister Mwansa Kapeya has warned that Zambia risks being ‘recolonised’ if it continues giving huge chunks of land to foreigners.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kapeya said when the country attained its Independence in 1964, some colonialists were unhappy to leave Zambia as it was endowed with fertile land and the natural resource which was a source of conflict in other countries.
Mr Kapeya said it was in view of the foregoing that some foreign nationals were trying to recolonise Zambia by acquiring huge tracts of land under the pretext of being investors.
“We will be 50 years of Independence after next month. Mind you, some of you (journalists) were just born a few years ago, you were born after Independence. The people who were governing, colonisers whocolonised this country, were not happy to be chased away from a wonderful country like Zambia with fertile soil.
“They are there watching which ways should they come in and recolonise the country and if we are not careful they can come in another form and recolonise the country through acquiring of chunks of land,” he said.
He said President Michael Sata, who by virtue of his position owned all land in the country, was cautious on land matters and would not allow foreigners to possess more land than Zambians.
“Our current President is so careful that if we don’t control the land in this country it may fall into wrong hands. That’s why the President is saying okay which ever investor wants to come, 75 percent (of land) Zambians must be there,” he said.
Mr Kapeya said his Ministry had received reports that some traditional leaders were going beyond 250 hectares by selling more than 10,000
hectares of land to investors.
He warned that investors who had bought land straight from traditional rulers without the approval of his ministry had lost out as their investment would not be recognised by Government.