Lusaka is experiencing an economic boost at present

Police say it is the start of a major programme in Lusaka to demolish houses built on land obtained illegally.

The government says it wants to crack down on corruption in the way land plots are distributed.

But many residents are angry, saying they have legally paid for the land on which they built their homes.

The houses targeted were almost complete but not yet occupied, says the BBC's Musonda Chibamba.

A combined team of 400 policemen and officials from the city's municipal council began the operation at about midnight in a shanty township

The owners of the houses were given no advance warning and have been told they will receive no compensation unless they can prove they acquired the land legally.

Charles Zulu told the BBC's Focus on Africa that he had just to add roofing sheets to have finished his new two-bedroom home.

"I was at a friend's burial only to be told that the house had been demolished during the night. I spent about 11m kwacha ($2,500) building it," he said.

Two weeks ago, President Levy Mwanawasa sacked Land Minister Gladys Nyirongo, accusing her of handing out plots to family members.

A huge demolition programme took place in neighbouring Zimbabwe in 2005, making hundreds of thousands homeless and provoking an international outcry.