MORE than 50 property owners in Solwezi have confessed to constructing structures illegally and are now pleading with the local authority to formalise their buildings.

Acting council director of engineering, Geoffrey Malasha said in Solwezi yesterday that confessions followed a public notice, warning of mass demolition of illegal structures.

"As of Friday last week, we had about 57 people writing to us conceding they built illegally, and they now want us to formalise their structures. But, illegality is illegality, so we just let the law take its course," Mr Malasha said.

A public notice released by Solwezi Town Clerk, Jim Zya named Kandundu, Kandundu Extension, Magrade and Magrade Extension, Urban, Kazomba, Messenger, Riverside and Kwawama as the areas with illegal structures.

"Solwezi Municipal Council will demolish all unathorised buildings, which include buildings without permits, additional buildings on plots, buildings being used as residential groceries and illegal wall fences," Mr Zya warned.

The local authority, which has since written to the office of the District Commissioner, Albert Chifita to help secure the services of Zambia National Service (ZNS) officers to carry out the exercise, wants sanity to return to haphazardly planned Solwezi.

"I hereby write to your high office to help us arrange for 20 security officers who will demolish illegal structures in Solwezi in areas tabulated on the attached notice with immediate effect," Mr Malasha said.

And responding to the warning, a Solwezi woman pleaded with the local authority for more time before the council demolishes two illegal structures on her plot. "We are appealing to your good office to extend the period to six months because we got some money from people who reside in these cabins. Aas you know, I am a widow and have no other means of survival," she said.

She begged the council, saying she feared that if the two cabins were demolished on her Magrade plot, she would be taken to court by tenants for taking money by false pretences.