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The State has been dragged to court over the compulsory acquisition of land housing Twatasha Community School in Lusaka, with the property owner demanding K39.5 million in compensation.
Robinson Kaleb Zulu, the legal and beneficial owner of subdivisions 1 to 3 of subdivision Y of Farm No. 380A, claims he purchased the property in 2011 from Enviro-Flo Limited.
The land already had several housing units and the Twatasha Community School in place at the time.
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In February 2018, the government published a notice in the Gazette indicating its intention to compulsorily acquire the land.
Zulu says he formally objected in March and July 2018, explaining that he had no plans to shut down the school but instead intended to modernize it into a private institution.
Despite his objections, Zulu alleges that the government went ahead in June 2019 and took over the portion housing the school. He has valued the affected land at K33 million, with an additional K6.5 million for severance and loss of use of the remaining property.
While the government has assumed management of the school, Zulu argues it has not effectively taken possession of the land, leaving him to incur losses.
In his lawsuit, he is seeking a declaration that the acquisition was unlawful or, alternatively, full compensation of K39.5 million or an amount to be assessed by the Deputy Registrar.
He is also asking the court to order a land survey to establish the exact boundaries of the acquired portion and assess the costs of separating it from his remaining property.
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