LL City demolishes Area 49 Habitat houses

Lilongwe City Council (LCC) on Saturday moved in to demolish structures, including residential houses, in Area 49 Sector 6 amid controversy surrounding the ownership of the plots allocated by Habitat for Humanity, a charitable non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The council said it demolished the structures because the plots the inhabitants developed belonged to the council which had new tenants for the place with legal documentation.

About seven families were affected by the Saturday action.

One of the affected, Moses Chione, said he was saddened that the councillors were abusing their authority to snatch plots from the vulnerable and voiceless members of society.

He accused LCC deputy mayor Juliana Kaduya of plot grabbing using her power.

But Kaduya, in an interview, said the accusations against her were baseless, saying the affected inhabitants know what the problem was with their plots.

She said the land which the people claim to be theirs belongs to LCC as the said NGO stopped paying for its rates long time back and the city repossessed the land which it later sold to its councillors.

LCC chief executive officer Charles Makanga refused to give a comment on whether the current plot owners really have deeds from Habitat for Humanity, saying Habitat was better placed to talk about title deeds for the victims.

Efforts to talk to officials from Habitat for Humanity proved futile but one person working for the NGO told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the NGO failed to pay city rates; hence, the council repossessed its plots, putting the needy at a disadvantage. n