By MIRIAM ZIMBA –

MOST countries around the world refer to their heads of State and presidents, whose official residences are referred to as presidential palaces.
However, not all countries refer to these residences as palaces.
Some countries call theirs as government house, presidential villa, executive mansion or State house.
State houses are buildings which are of great importance and
significance and in most cases these residences are magnificent enough to rank with the best in the country and around the world.
A lot of Africa’s presidential palaces are sites worth beholding. In Zambia, the official residence of the Republican President is referred to as State House, otherwise commonly referred to as Plot One.
Initially, this building was named Government House by the colonial masters, who built it in 1935.
The Government House was home to the British top boss known as the Governor, who ruled Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.
Its name was changed to State House after Zambia gained independence in 1964, when Zambia’s first Republican President Kenneth Kaunda moved there from his Chilenje house, which is now a national monument.
According to media reports, former Secretary to the Cabinet in the UNIP era, Sketchley Sachika explained that Dr Kaunda made two major improvements to State House during his tenure – the construction of
Nkwazi House and the golf course.
In South Africa, the official residence of the President is known as the Union Building, which forms the official seat of South Africa’s Government and houses the presidency as well as the department of
foreign affairs.
Just like an ancient temple adorning the city it governs, the Union Buildings are a modern-day citadel, built at the highest point of South Africa’s capital – Pretoria.
With its vast gardens, the buildings are located in Pretoria and constitute a South African national heritage site.
These remarkable buildings, built from sandstone, were designed by Sir Herbert Baker in an English monument style. The buildings are 285 metres long.
The Union Buildings have become an iconic landmark of Pretoria and South Africa in general.
They are among the most popular tourist attractions in South Africa.
State House is also the official residence of the President of Uganda, and is situated in Entebbe, 40km south of Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
It is adjacent to a ceremonial “H” shaped building which hosted the Queen of England on her visit to Uganda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Apparently, this State House is currently undergoing some revamping at a cost of approximately US$1.6 million.
Far beyond the African continent, the construction of the White House, which is the official residence of the President of United States of America, began with the laying of a cornerstone on October 13, 1792.
The initial construction took place over a period of eight years, at a reported cost of $232.371.83, an equivalent of about $3,239,992 at the current currency rates.
When the construction was completed, the porous sandstone walls were whitewashed with a mixture of lime, rice glue, casein and lead, giving the House its familiar colour and name.
In Zambia, the MMD Government, under former President Rupiah Banda, made proposals to build a new State House building.
However, in October 2011, late Republican President Michael Sata is on record as having cancelled the contract for the construction of a new State House, alongside the construction of a new international airport terminal building in Lusaka.
Mr Sata argued that the current State House was adequate and wondered why the previous Government decided to embark on an expensive venture such as the putting up of a new structure.
Drawing a leaf from the amount of resources that go into the construction of a new State House building, or even that of renovating it, Cabinet recently disapproved a proposal by the Ministry of Works
and Supply to build a new State House.
The proposal entailed that the current State House would be converted into a museum. A statement by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda said the contention that led to the proposal was the main administration building of the current State House, which was built in
the early 1930s.
The contention was that the current structure had continued to deteriorate, posing potential health and safety risks.
However, a Cabinet decision was arrived at during the 27th Cabinet meeting chaired by President Edgar Lungu not to approve the proposal owing to resource constraints under the country’s current economic situation.
The Cabinet’s decision has, expectedly, received accolades from various stakeholders across the country.
Civil Society for Poverty Reduction executive director Kryticous Nshindano said the decision was in line with President Lungu’s pronouncements to cut down on expenditure because the country’s production had declined.
Mr Nshindano said there was need to consolidate the nation’s fiscal position and revamp revenue collection as opposed to building a new State House administration block.
He said implementing agencies should abide by this directive and uphold only projects that have been approved.
“We are very happy with Cabinet’s decision and we hope that many of such decisions will be made in the future so that poverty reduction can be the priority of every Zambian,” he said.
Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia executive director Pukuta Mwanza said Cabinet’s decision was important as it signified the internal democracy being enjoyed in Zambia.
Reverend Mwanza said there are many urgent needs to which available resources could be directed.
He described the action taken as critical for national development.
“We appreciate the decision by Cabinet and we hope more of such tough decisions could be made so that the scarce resources can be directed towards urgent needs of the country,” he said.
Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes executive director Boniface Chembe said the decision is prudent considering the challenges the country is already facing.
Mr Chembe said the  Government should instead focus its attention on building more roads and link the country to as many countries as possible.
Lusaka residents also praised Government for setting aside plans for the construction of the new State House administration block.
An automotive spares dealer Cephas Dube, welcomed the move.
He said the Government should instead concentrate its efforts on stabilising the economy.
Mr Dube said prices of most commodities, including farming inputs on the market, had gone up and needed serious attention from those in Government.
“We cannot afford to divide our attention because we have serious issues that need attention,” he said.
Another Lusaka business executive Davies Lubala said a new State House would be too costly for Zambia, especially given the current poverty levels in the country.
Mr Lubala said the decision was evidence that President Lungu leads a listening Government which has taken into consideration the welfare of its people.
“The poor rainfall has left a mark of poverty on many people’s lives, so the resources available, if well utilised, will have a positive impact on many people,” he said.
With such levels of financial discipline and in view of the measures being implemented by the Government, the country’s limited resources can instead be channelled towards other sectors that are critical to the
promotion of socio-economic development and growth, ultimately guaranteeing improved standards of living for Zambians.