KATIMA MULILO – Over 1 000 residents, led by the town’s youth, business owners and informal settlers, marched to the offices of the Katima Mulilo Town Council to deliver a petition against a myriad of issues at the town.
The petition, read aloud by community representative Owen Mahoto, represents a unified call for justice, transparency and an immediate halt to what residents call “a looting spree” of municipal land by the outgoing council.
“This land is not for sale behind closed doors. It belongs to the people of Katima Mulilo,” insisted Mahoto.
Clutching placards that read ‘Our Land, Our Future!’, ‘Stop the Land Grab!’ and ‘No to Corruption!’, the demonstrators moved peacefully through the town.
They were determined to shed light on alleged backdoor land allocations, which they say disproportionately benefit politically connected individuals, foreign nationals and councillors’ family members.
At the heart of the protest is a formal objection to the private sale and lease of municipal land, advertised on 16 July 2025 in a local newspaper.
The petitioners said the advertised allocations represent yet another example of the town council’s pattern of secrecy, conflict of interest and abuse of office.
“We are here because enough is enough. We are tired of being lied to, ignored and sidelined. While residents remain landless, the council continues to enrich itself, its friends and foreign companies like Wenxi Investments,” Mahoto said, reading from the petition.
The petition lays out a scathing indictment of the council’s conduct, accusing it of awarding land via private treaties without competitive processes or public consultation.
The petition also points to favouring councillors’ associates and foreign entities, notably Chinese-owned Wenxi Investments CC, which allegedly receives tenders and land without due process.
The residents accused the council of allowing individuals, especially foreigners, to amass vast tracts of land through shadowy dealings, bartering small residential plots for large commercial land.
They said the town council is engaging in conflicts of interest, such as councillors awarding plots to companies owned by their relatives at below-market prices.
The residents further claimed the council refused to disclose public land records, including beneficiary lists, resolutions and meeting minutes, which violated the Local Authorities Act.
The youth-led action pointed out that while informal settlements such as Nova and Choto continue to lack basic services, the council has prioritised elite developments and politically motivated Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), many of which have not yielded a single completed project.
Among the group’s immediate demands are a full moratorium on land sales, leases and donations until a new council is elected.
The group also demanded revocation of all land allocations made by the current council.
The residents called for a public disclosure of all land transactions, beneficiaries and related council decisions since this administration took office.
The formalisation of informal settlements and redirection of resources to water, sanitation and emergency services for neglected areas is another demand.
They want the immediate resignation of the current council following today’s emergency meeting.
The petition, which explicitly distances itself from any political, tribal or religious affiliation, insists that the protest is a civic action rooted in democratic rights.
“We will not allow our future to be auctioned off. This council has failed us. They must vacate the office immediately,” Mahoto added, drawing cheers and chants from the crowd.
The document sharply criticises Mayor John Ntemwa and CEO Raphael Liswaniso.
They called out “shameless looting” and claimed that councillors have used their positions to manipulate land distribution for personal gain.
This includes engaging in land-for-vehicle barter transactions, which residents decry as reckless and shortsighted.
The petition questions how foreign nationals are allocated land with ease while locals are told that plots are unavailable or that they must “speak to councillors” privately.
“Who among you owns a plot in China?” the petition demands.
“Yet you hand over our land without shame.”
The protestors are demanding that a council resolution be passed to revoke all land decisions made by the current administration and to cease further land deals until a new, trusted leadership is elected.
The protestors want to see anti-corruption mechanisms put in place, including a public whistleblower tip-line.
The petition has been copied to Zambezi Governor Dorothy Kabula, Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa and other regional authorities.
The residents ended the demonstration with a solemn pledge to continue civic pressure, promising that any further attempts to dispose of public land in secrecy would be met with stronger and more organised action.
Quoting President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s words that corruption will be treated as treason, the group sent a clear message: the people of Katima Mulilo are watching, and they will no longer be silent.
Katima Mulilo deputy mayor Lasken Sikosi officially received a petition on behalf of the town’s leadership, assuring petitioners that their concerns will be addressed.
“On behalf of the entire Katima Mulilo town leadership, I would like to thank you very much. I have received your petition today [Friday],” said Sikosi while addressing the crowd.
He said he will share the petition with his fellow leaders and promises that they will act as demanded.
“We will revert to you after studying and reading your petition,” he said.
Attached to the petition is a list of over 1 000 signatories, representing youth, residents, business owners and informal dwellers. ‘
They are united not by politics, but by the desire to reclaim their land, rights and town’s future.