The incomplete high-rise building at the junction of Katondo Street and Freedom Way in Lusaka is not just a hide out for criminal activities, it is now a subject of public safety concerns.
The surroundings to the eyesore of Lusaka are filthy despite the Council now claiming to have taken over collection of levies after party cadres were said to have been eliminated. Maybe the levies being collected now are going to pay and clear salary arrears?
The 11- storey incomplete building described by many as an eyesore of Lusaka Central business district has now choked up over 30 years without a firm decision being made on it.
Successive governments in power from the MMD, to PF and now UPND all seem to pretend like they don’t mind its shabby and grotesque presence. Others have said its a testimony of Zambia’s failed legal system that takes years to deliver justice, while others simply say that no one cares for the look and feel of the capital city.
But that Engineering Institution of Zambia – EIZ has weighed in and stated that the abandoned building at the corner of Freedom Way and Katondo Street is a big concern as there has been no notable construction activity for over 30 years.
EIZ President Engineer Able Ng’andu explained that what is even more worrying is the construction crane standing adjacent to the building, whose metallic members have started falling off because of corrosion and that this crane may actually collapse and fall on people or public property should concern all responsible members of the public.
Ng’andu noted that the crane adjacent to the building at the junction of Freedom Way and Katondo Street must be brought down as a matter of urgency, in order to avert any possible accidents in city centre.
A check by Zambian Business Times – ZBT reveals that the building has been changing many hands over time. The multi-storey building seems to involve parties that are much more powerful than the Lusaka city council officials who have been on record to have issued all sorts of directives which have simply been ignored.
Even successive local government ministers and top ministry officials seem to be helpless when it gets to finding the way forward for this “eyesore” of Lusaka. Will it ever get completed or perhaps razed down?
