By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
LOCAL authorities need to regain public trust and confidence in land administration to help curb illegal  allocations that trigger land wrangles, Local Government and Housing Minister Stephen Kampyongo has said.

Mr Kampyongo cited the erosion public trust in local authorities in land management as a major contributor to land wrangles which are escalating in various areas, especially in major cities where land has become scarce.
Mr Kampyongo said many people did not find councils transparent and had, therefore, opted for illegal means of acquiring land.
The minister said councils had laid down procedure on how members of the public could get land but it was sad that councils themselves failed to follow that process.
He said it was unfortunate that whenever members of the public applied for land from the council, procedural challenges always arose, leading to some bona fide applicants failing to acquire land.
Mr Kampyongo was speaking on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation’s Sunday Interview programme on Sunday evening.
“The process does not end logically to the satisfaction of the public. All what people seem to see is the same rich and powerful people building and yet they also took part in the process to apply for that same land,” Mr Kampyongo said.
He said this had led to some people using vigilante means of acquiring land by attacking local and foreign land owners.
Land grabbing was retrogressive because it denied proper owners the opportunity to own land and eroded investor confidence.
The onus was on councillors to ensure they promoted an inclusive and transparent process of land ownership and not involve themselves in land allocation.
Mr Kampyongo said his ministry had sent circulars to all local authorities to remind mayors and councillors of their specific involvement in land allocation.
He said a number of councillors so far had been apprehended by police in connection with land allocation.
“There are no sacred cows. Everyone that breaks the law will be arrested,” Mr Kampyongo said.
The minister said people that claimed to be cadres of any political party and grabbed land from any person would be arrested.
Mr Kampyongo said the Government did not take pleasure in demolishing houses or any structure as the best way of avoiding any demolition was to prevent construction of illegal structures.
Members of the public, as much as officers, should take responsibility in ensuring that land was acquired legitimately.
On street vendors, Mr Kampyongo said the PF Government was consistent on its stance to allow street vendors to operate freely but in designated areas which had facilities for their convenience.