Africa-Press – Zambia. Lusaka… Friday July 25, 2025 – Political activist and Socialist Party member Mr. Thompson Luzendi has issued a stern warning against the proposed Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill of 2025, describing it as one of the most dangerous legislative proposals in Zambia’s recent history.
In a statement, Mr. Luzendi alleged that the bill–currently before Parliament as National Assembly Bill (NAB) 13 of 2025–seeks to grant sweeping and unchecked powers to the Chief Registrar to cancel Certificates of Title without due judicial process.
He said that the bill, if enacted, would undermine constitutional protections, property rights, and the rule of law.
According to Mr. Luzendi, the amendment would allow the Chief Registrar to unilaterally cancel a title on grounds such as error, fraud, or illegality, all without requiring court involvement.
He argued that this transfer of power to a single government official represented a dangerous departure from Sections 33 and 34 of the current Lands and Deeds Registry Act, which require such matters to be resolved in court.
He further expressed concern that the proposed legislation had faced widespread opposition from legal experts, civil society organizations, and land rights advocates.
Despite this, he asserted, the government had shown disregard for public opinion by continuing to advance the bill.
Mr. Luzendi also criticized a specific provision in the bill that would allow the Chief Registrar to cancel a certificate if the holder failed to respond to a cancellation notice within 30 days.
He warned that this could be particularly harmful to rural populations with limited access to legal resources, stating that such communities might lose their land without ever knowing it was under threat.
He stated that the bill violated Article 16 of the Zambian Constitution, which protects citizens from arbitrary deprivation of property.
According to him, requiring appeals to go through a Minister–rather than the courts–would politicize land issues and deny affected individuals the right to a fair and independent hearing.
In his remarks, Mr. Luzendi cautioned that the bill could be used to facilitate land grabs by politically connected individuals.
He described the proposed law as a tool for legalizing land dispossession and voiced fears of increased corruption and victimization of vulnerable landowners.
He pointed out that professional bodies, including the Law Association of Zambia, and prominent legal figures such as Dickson Jere, had all raised alarms about the amendment’s potential to erode investor confidence and destabilize the land sector.
Parliamentary committees, he added, had been urged to reject the bill in full.
Despite this growing criticism, Mr. Luzendi claimed the government appeared determined to pass the legislation, leading him to question the true motives behind the bill.
He suggested that the aim might not be land reform, but rather land control, warning that it would centralize power in the hands of a few at the expense of the broader population.
Calling on Parliament to reject the bill and on citizens to remain vigilant, Mr. Luzendi concluded his statement by asserting that land is not merely a resource but a matter of life and identity for many Zambians.
“This bill is a threat to land and life. It must be withdrawn,” he emphasized.
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