UPPZ leader faces new allegations of improper land deals

By Linda Soko

The leader of a Zambian opposition political party is facing new allegations that he was involved in questionable land deals through a company he controlled that has since been forced into liquidation.

A MakanDay investigation has found that Charles Chanda, president of United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ), is alleged to have engaged in a range of improper dealings with buyers who were attempting to purchase plots of land in different parts of the country, including Chaminuka and Nampundwe areas. Some of the disputed purchases date back seven years ago.

In exclusive interviews with MakanDay, the complainants alleged that in some cases they still have not acquired title to the properties they purchased as far back as 2017. In other cases, they claim they have been told they need to pay additional unexpected fees before they can acquire the property.

Others have alleged that they discovered Mr. Chanda did not have proper title to the land when he sold it to them.

This is not the first time Mr. Chanda has been embroiled in problems related to real estate dealings.

One of Mr. Chanda’s companies – Brook Cherith Estate Agents and Developers Limited – was forced into liquidation in June 2020 after failing to compensate clients who had paid for land but couldn’t obtain it.

The company was registered in January 2018 and its only directors and shareholders were Mr. Chanda and his daughter, Esther Chanda. The company was involved in real estate activities, including owning or leasing property and providing real estate services on a fee or contract basis.

More than 120 complainants were also awarded over K3.8 million against Brook Cherith in March 2023.

According to court documents obtained by MakanDay, 123 complainants secured a default judgment totaling K3,837,637. The judgment was issued after Brook Cherith, Mr. Chanda’s company, failed to either show the land to the petitioners or refund their money, despite having received the full purchase price.

The documents reveal that between January 2018 and June 2018, the company, through both conventional and social media, invited the public to purchase portions of land in a project known as Charlisdale, located off airport road in Chongwe district. The complainants entered into negotiations with the company and made offers for the proposed subdivisions.

In 2019, Mr. Chanda and his daughter, Esther, were charged with 127 counts of obtaining money by false pretences. They were eventually acquitted on all counts when a judge ruled the pair were not personally liable for the company’s actions and could not be held criminally responsible for its conduct.

Mr. Chanda proclaimed his innocence in a statement to MakanDay and threatened legal action over the latest allegations.

“Whoever wants to pick it up, he must be ready to be sued in the court of law because number one, that issue was with Brook Cherith,” Mr. Chanda said in a statement made through his aide.

Mr. Chanda claimed he was assisting some clients on a “humanitarian” basis.

“I’ve got people I’ve helped, but I’ve not helped them as Brook Cherith, I have helped them from my humanitarian point of view, and I’m still helping them,” Mr. Chanda stated.

Mr. Chanda defended his record in land dealings and criticised the complainants for pursuing claims against Brook Cherith through the liquidation process. He stressed that the company no longer exists and that he is not responsible for its liabilities.

“This is why before you take a decision, you must be aware. They thought that by liquidating Brook Cherith, they will have all the lands,” he said. “… So, all I’m saying here is that they miscalculated and unfortunately, it has worked against them.”

Following the court-ordered liquidation of Brook Cherith in 2020, the appointed liquidator discovered the company had no property registered under its name except for a single block-making machine valued at K80,000.

After Brook Cherith was liquidated, Mr. Chanda has remained active in the land business through other companies, including Mangani Ziko Real Estate Limited, which was registered in 2020.

The new complainants against Mr. Chanda involves the land they purchased from as way back as 2017, but to this day, they claim some issues remain unresolved. These include the failure to receive the land despite making payments, and for those who did receive land, they have yet to be issued title deeds.

One buyer purchased land west of Lusaka, only to face unexpected surveyor fees, despite an initial agreement that stipulated those costs wouldn’t apply. A promised farm in Kasama, offered to those buying two plots, has yet to materialise.

Another buyer, who purchased two plots of land in Lusaka West in January 2024, has yet to receive the promised farm in Kasama in Northern Province.

Buyers who have invested in properties allege that they have been threatened with losing their land unless additional payments were made, and many have yet to receive their titles, despite following up and presenting receipts.

In some cases, it’s alleged, land advertised by Mr. Chanda is reportedly in someone else’s name, leaving buyers without their promised properties.

In an exclusive interview with MakanDay, one client, a single mother who requested anonymity because she faced reprisals, described how she purchased a plot for K10,000 in Nampundwe, Shibuyunji district, after seeing an advertisement on Facebook.

Despite being shown the site, she claims she has yet to receive the land.

“When we were taken to view the land, they merely pointed to the area and said, ‘it’s a bush now, but once the grading is done, we’ll bring you back,’” she said. “The plots were 25 by 50 metres, and many of us were excited, especially given the affordable price and we paid.”

A week later, she and many others were asked to pay an additional K2,500 for surveyor’s fees, intended for placing beacons and graveling the road. She paid the fee and awaited her plot allocation. After a year of waiting, she attempted to reclaim her money, explaining that, as a single mother, she needed the land for her children.

She noted that Mr. Chanda had assured her he was committed to empowering single mothers by helping them acquire land, recognising that many often lacked support.

“I was told I would be given land in the Chaminuka area near the airport, as the Nampundwe plots would take longer to process. However, despite all the paperwork being completed, I have yet to see the plot,” she claimed.

Another woman, who bought a plot from Mr. Chanda’s company in 2019, shared a similar experience. The woman, who also requested anonymity, explained that although she received an offer letter after completing her payment, five years later she and many others have not been allocated their plots near the airport area along Chaminuka Road.

She further revealed that some of the buyers conducted a land search at the ministry of lands which showed that the land was owned by a company called Amavail Limited, not Mr. Chanda or his company.

After speaking with one of Amavail’s directors, they learned that Mr. Chanda had attempted to buy the land but the transaction never went through. Despite this, it’s alleged that he began selling the plots.

Eugene Kabilika, former executive director of Caritas Zambia, advised Zambians to verify ownership records and deal with genuine sellers before purchasing land, emphasizing the importance of confirming the legitimacy of transactions and considering traditional land acquisition methods.

Mr. Chanda made his first bid for Zambia’s presidency in 2021 but was unsuccessful.

He finished eighth out of 16 candidates, securing 6,543 votes in an election won by United Party for National Development’s Hakainde Hichilema, who garnered over 2.8 million votes to defeat the incumbent President Edgar Lungu.

Photo credit | Charles Chanda’s Facebook Page