PEACE PREVAILS OVER LAND WRANGLE IN CHONGWE

JOHN KOMBE writes @sunzambian
LAND has become a source of disputes in many parts of the country and those with financial muscle have sometimes legally acquired land and evicted people who might be occupants, but without title.
This is the case in a matter involving a claim by eleven people who had land title after they bought farm number 8754 of 49 hectares in Mulilanduba village of Chief Bunda Bunda in Chongwe from the administrator of the land in question.
The administrator of the said land, Zephar Miti who inherited the land from his father later subdivided the land and sold it to the 11 peo-ple who sought court order to remove the squatters.
They got the court order and bailiffs moved in two days ago and had some resisting villagers arrested.
However, peace prevailed yesterday after the parties agreed to discuss the matter. This was after title land owners fought running battles with the villagers in an attempt to execute a court order for eviction.
The area member of parliament, Japhen Mwakalombe who rushed to the scene in the company of Chongwe mayor and district commis-sioner, Geoffrey Chumbwe and Robster Mwanza respectively engaged both parties.
The claimants finally agreed to be given alternative land in order to restore peace.
Mr. Mwakalombe thanked the legal owners for being human. He promised that government would look for suitable land in order to se-cure the safety of hundreds of villagers alleged to have been encroaching.
And a representative of the 11 land owners, Dr. Sunday Ngalande stated that the decision to over look the court order was done in the in-terest of peace. According to him the decision as win-win situation. He thanked government for presiding over the matter in humane manner.
He however hoped that the claimants will also be compensated for the costs that have been incurred in developing part of the land they earlier managed to occupy.
Headman Mulilanduba thanked the land owners for considering the plight of the villagers.
Meanwhile, Legal documents accessed by the Daily Nation show that, judgment was also passed in Mr. Miti’s favour on 27th September 2017 after the demise of his father.