REVENUE CREATION FOR LOCAL COUNCILS THROUGH NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Our councils have totally collapsed.  They lost a huge source of the revenue through the sale of council houses by the MMD. Sadly, there was really no plan to ensure the continued survival of these institutions, not even now. As a result, not only are Councils limping but they are also unable to deliver adequate services to the community.

It is not impossible to source funding on behalf of local councils for construction of new low and medium cost houses that would be rented out. With competent managers in place, our councils must be able to generate the required revenue to sustain themselves and provide better services to the community. If funding has to come through loan facilities, the government must back those loans.

After Independence, President Kenneth Kaunda’s government moved quickly to address the critical housing situation in the country. I am not aware of any new townships built to the standards of Chelstone, Chilenje South, Lilanda, various stages of Libala, and New Kabwata, New Kamwala in Lusaka or New Ndeke in Kitwe, Kafue Estates and many others which were constructed after independence by the UNIP government. These homes were affordable for our people. How many Zambians can afford to purchase or rent the NAPSA houses near Kalulushi, for example?  Many of those NAPSA houses are still empty and even the walls are cracking. I went there to see for myself!

Huge pieces of land are being sold to individuals and companies to build housing estates which are in turn sold to individuals and companies at unaffordable prices to the ordinary Zambian. I was shocked the other day to discover that in one of our cities, large tracts of land were sold by the Council many years ago and many of the beneficiaries were military officers, council administrators and political figures. This land remains undeveloped today. Government has been borrowing expensively for consumption and “projects” with little or no return on investment. Thousands of new houses could have been constructed by councils on these large pieces of land currently being given to the Chinese and other “investors” for concrete block making, shopping malls and other frivolous businesses. By the way, every time a new shopping mall is commissioned by the President, you must realize that our country has in fact increased productivity and jobs in South Africa and China. If you want proof, go to Shoprite, Spar and Pick and Pay to see how many Zambian manufactured products are on the shelves.

As we develop, we must ensure that no unplanned residential areas are allowed. Our towns and cities must be well planned. No housing construction in any new site must commence before full services such as roads, clean water and sewer systems are in place. There should be no house in urban areas without waterborne toilets. Party cadres and councilors must never be involved in land/plots allocation. Tough laws with stiff penalties must be put in place to stop this. We must set high standards for buildings in town centers and residential areas.

Just opposite Kamwala Secondary School in Lusaka was a huge piece of land where someone used to have a concrete block-making company. That land should have been reserved for the future expansion of the school. Concrete blocks are still being made on plots situated in residential areas and that is a potential health hazard. There must be order in the way we do things.

I once attended an open council meeting somewhere and I asked the Councilors where they saw their town in 10, 20 and 50 years time. They had no plan, no vision. I asked, “Do you see yourselves as a small roadside community, town or city in 50 years?” If you are a town and your vision is to be a city, you have to begin to “think city, plan city and develop like a city now”.

Here is an idea I have been toying around with.

Chongwe town, for example, which is just 35 kilometers from Lusaka can be redesigned into a dormitory town. At present, that town is badly planned; in fact there is no plan at all because it is both a village and a town in one. With proper planning and decent housing, Lusaka can be decongested by having people commute from the dormitory town of Chongwe to Lusaka for work. This can be made possible by Chongwe Council, perhaps in partnership with Lusaka Council, constructing affordable low, medium and high cost houses for rent thereby providing long term revenue. A rapid transit commuter train running between Chongwe and Lusaka will even decongest the Great East Road into Lusaka and economic activity in that area would flourish. New affordable council houses for rent will no doubt drive down the escalating and unrealistic rentals controlled by greedy real estate agents in the country.

If a shopping mall is built in that area, there has to be regulation put in place stipulating that workers will be recruited from that community first, agricultural produce would be purchased from nearby farms first and transporters and other suppliers would come from that area before outsiders are considered. The Chongwe and Lusaka Councils partnership I have given as an example could be emulated throughout the country.

Successive governments have failed to administer or seriously address the issue of land allocation in Zambia. In the cities, this has resulted in unplanned settlements. If mayors, councilors and party cadres are going to continue allocating land, then we will continue having problems not forgetting corruption. There must be clear guidelines and laws that eliminate political party officials, individual Councilors and others from allocating even an inch of land to anyone. Stiff punishment must be put in place and made clear to anyone acting otherwise.    

Of great concern to me is the purchase and allocation of land to foreigners. In this country foreign nationals own huge pieces of land. Between Silver Rest on the outskirts of Lusaka and the Great East Road turnoff to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, there are six different concrete block manufacturing companies, all with foreign names. One of the companies even has an “A” and “B” premises with a space of a two kilometers! This is prime land on the road front where council housing estates could have been built. This is not right. Land is a very sensitive issue and has caused great problems in other countries.

It's just a thought.