By MILDRED KATONGO  –
THE Chinese-owned Mei Mei Zambia Limited has defied the Ndola City Council (NCC)’s directive to raze a structure being constructed along a buffer zone.
NCC had written to the company to pull down the structure being built on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway and was not in the initial plan.
According to the earlier plan, the Chinese firm intended to set up a US$150 million mini-city to comprise  houses, warehouses, a five-star hotel, shopping mall, an amusement park and a service station next to Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
A check yesterday found workers had continued to work on the illegal structure, which is near completion.
Mei Mei general manager King Muluka said the local authority had given the company an ultimatum to demolish the structure, and that an appeal against the move had been made to the NCC.
Mr Muluka, who could not give a clear explanation on why the company had continued to build despite the directive, said the Chinese company had stopped the construction and that he was not aware that the works had continued.
“I am in Lusaka and tomorrow (today) I will be back in the office and I will give you a clear position of the company. We have been having meetings with the council and when they gave us the ultimatum, we appealed. Since that time we stopped and I am not aware of the new developments at the site,” Mr Muluka said.
NCC spokesperson Roy Kuseka said the local authority would hold a Press briefing tomorrow, where the Mei Mei and other issues would be addressed.
“NCC will hold a Press briefing on Friday and all the queries and issues related to Mei Mei will be tabled,” he said.