“Our plans are shelved.” Planners Institute on Increase of informality

The Zambia Institute of Planners has bemoaned […]

The Zambia Institute of Planners has bemoaned the low-level implementation of its plans by the local authorities, citing that this is leading to a rapid increase of informal settlements.

 Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times– ZBT, ZIP President Busiku Sulwe said despite the availability of the 10-year plan for each district in the country, there is a lack of adherence. He stated that generally the country has encountered cases of unstructured construction because of the lack of strict monitoring and inspections.

Partly due to manpower and sometimes undue influence from other organs of the authorities, a situation has stifled the development of the country. “There is a lot of incomparable land use, you can’t put a mall next to a cattle kraal, because there are different uses that would discourage people from going there, recently we had issues with Mukuba Mall and Freedom Park in Kitwe, and the mall was placed right inside the mall,” he revealed.

He added that most of the plans are shelved, with no proper monitoring systems and a general lack of implementation. A situation that is frustrating for the ones that would love to see a well-structured country.

“We have 10 year plans that have done for each district which show how an area is going to develop, if the plans are followed it’s a good guide, but the challenge in Zambia is that once you do plan its put in the shelved.” “Sometimes when we see things happening in a haphazard manner, you begin to think there are no planners in Zambia, but while the plans were not followed, implementation is what discourages.”

Sulwe also observed that the development control by the local authorities is very poor, observing that this might be a result of less manpower. “Maybe the inspectors are not well resourced, or the country does not have enough manpower, and by the time we are coming back, it’s too late; the buildings are built, and demolishing them is considered inhumane.”

Article by Samuel Mutale