Govt reassures Chiefs it will not touch customary land

Government has reassured traditional leaders in the country that it will not interfere in the administration of customary land in their possession. Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Jean Kapata says government is fully aware that it only owns 10 percent of the total mass of land in the country. Ms. Kapata has since clarified that the national land titling programme currently being piloted in Lusaka Province excludes customary land. She states that government’s interest in rolling out this project is to ensure security of tenure of land for the Zambian citizens. Ms. Kapata states that with this project, citizens with land offers or relevant documentation will have their title processed within a month once they have been verified. The Minister said this when she toured Madido village in Chongwe District which is one of the two areas where the national titling project is being piloted in Lusaka province.