Times Of Swaziland: PRES. LUNGU TO BUILD HOUSE AT NKONYENI

PRES. LUNGU TO BUILD HOUSE AT NKONYENI
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BY NTOMBI MHLONGO on 16/05/2018 04:32:00


MBABANE – The Kingdom of Eswatini is set to become a second home for Zambia
President, Edgar Lungu.
The president is allegedly set to build a mansion worth millions at Nkonyeni
area.
This newspaper has gathered that the mansion would be built on Lot 225 of Farm
Nkonyeni III, which is situated past Sidvokodvo area in the Manzini Region.
Already, Zambian newspapers have gone to town reporting about the mansion with
opposition parties questioning it and demanding to know how he acquired the
land.
An architectural plan of the structure has also been leaked and it reveals that
it was allegedly done by a company known as Architects International, whose
business premises are situated in Mbabane.
The copies of the drawing, which are already circulating on different social
media platforms and online newspapers, reveal that the revisions of the drawings
were done in November last year.
According to the Zambian newspapers, Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Dora Siliya confirmed on Monday that Lungu owned land in the country which she
alleged was given to him by authorities.
The Diggers News and the Zambia Online alleged that during a press briefing at
her office on Monday, Siliya who is also Petauke Central Member of Parliament,
said it was normal for a president to own land in a foreign country.
“These are normal practices when the president travels, that various gifts are
given in various forms. In this case it was land that was given to the
president. This land was processed and given to the president in title. So there
is nothing sinister about that because I do know now that people like to create
stories even when there are no stories,” the newspaper quoted Siliya as having
allegedly stated.
She was further quoted as having said the president was awarded the ‘gift’
and that it was processed for him by virtue of his status and that it was given
to him even on title deed land.
It has been alleged that the house for the president would cost about US$3.9m.
Despite the Zambian government alleging that the land was a ‘gift’,
documents sourced from the Deeds Registry public information centre reveal that
the area in question is one of around 90 plots which are under the ownership of
Inyatsi Properties Limited.
According to the deeds files, the area where the plot is situated was initially
owned by Rudolph Investments (Proprietary) Limited.
The plot itself is measuring 4105 square metres and was approved by the surveyor
general on March 12, 2009.
A deed of transfer was then processed last year through S.V. Mdladla &
Associates and Inyatsi Properties Limited lawfully acquired the plots from
Rudolph Investments.
An effort was made to get a comment from Architects International which,
however, requested not to say anything on the matter.
“Unfortunately, for ethical reasons, we are unable to comment on matters
relating to our clients’ businesses,” said Richard Magnus on behalf of the
company.
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