Land Vestment in Zambia

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INTRODUCTION This assignment will discuss in detail the advantages and the disadvantages of vesting the land in the president in Zambia and itemize the various types of vestments that exist around the world. VESTING OF LAND IN THE PRESIDENT IN ZAMBIA PROS AND CONS The Land Act Chapter 184 of the Laws of Zambia section 3(1)[1] state that, “Land in Zambia is vested absolutely in the president of the Republic of Zambia and shall be held by him in perpetuity for and on behalf of the people of Zambia”. This statement as brought arguments during the Constitutional Making Process, which land in Zambia should be vested in the president in perpetuity for and in behalf of Zambian People. The Zambian people during constitutional making process did make suggestions that land should be vested in the president under article 294 of the First Draft Constitution clause (1)[2] state “Land in Zambia is vested in the President and is held by the President in trust for, and on behalf of, the Zambian people.” Senior Chief Puta of the Bwile people of Chienge district, Luapula Province, expressed discomfort with article 294 of the draft constitution, which vests land in the President, saying it has the potential to cause tension in the country. Clause (1) of the article says, “Land in Zambia is vested in the President and is held by the President in trust for, and on behalf of, the people of Zambia.” But Chief Puta feels once passed with the article in its current form the new constitution will give the President too much power over this vital natural resource, reducing chiefs to mere surrogate custodians. Chief Puta said his fears are shared by other chiefs and called for the Technical Committee on the Drafting of the Constitution to revisit the article.[3] His suggestion is that certain categories of land such as shrines and ancestral forests must be vested in
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