WHEN the now ruling party, United Party for National Development (UPND), was in opposition and campaigning for the August 12 general election last year, one issue which they promised to reverse was the gazette on Forest Number 27.
Forest Number 27 is a sensitive forest reserve located on the fringes of Lusaka in the Leopards Hills area.
For instance, the area is located where water bodies such as Goma Lakes which is found within the University of Zambia (UNZA) has its water source.
It is important to note that Forest Reserve 27 was first gazetted as a nature reserve by the British colonial administration in 1942; it was considered an important water and nature resource for Lusaka.
The reserve also covers a mountain long regarded as sacred by local people.
According to experts, the forest reserve has shrunk to just 716 hectares (1,770 acres) from its original 1,750-hectare (4,320-acre).
This is after high profile people in Zambia from the previous Government allegedly benefited when a decree issued by then President Edgar Lungu through a gazette was made to make way for housing and lifestyle developments.
The developments are also pumping sewage into the Chalimbana River, contaminating the fish and water that local communities rely on.
Already, the negative impact of Forest 27 is coming to the fore with water bodies in the nearby Chongwe area drying up.
Former top Government officials have been named among the recipients of some of the plots, including an ex-vice President, and some former ministers.
In the northeast part of the reserve, plans are afoot for one of the most luxurious estates Lusaka has ever seen: Kingsland City.
Sunshare Estates, a public-private partnership between the Zambian Air Force (ZAF) and three Chinese companies — Datong Construction, Drimtown Investments and Shangria Investments.
More than 1,000 homes had already been built for personnel at the ZAF’s Twin Palms Base.
Now a further 380 hectares (940 acres) were targeted to build 2,500 more housing units, a shopping mall, sports complex, hotels, a university, a golf course, an amusement park, and a ZAF academy.
It has not been a smooth sailing for Kingsland City.
In January 2018, Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) warned that raw sewage had started seeping into the Chalimbana where the new homes have gone up.
The authority’s report said the old sewer ponds had been built for a limited number of houses and cautioned that the system will not be able to cope with further development.
It warned that contamination had been detected downstream of the discharge point, with reports that some people had gotten sick with diarrhoea.
It is against this background that the UPND then in opposition said it was going to reverse the gazette on Forest Number 27 upon ascending to power.
However, speaking recently when he appeared on a live interview anchored by Frank Mutubila on Camnet Television (TV), Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Elijah Muchima said the Government was treading cautiously on Forest 27 because it didn’t want to face litigation in the courts of law.
Mr Muchima said the Government doesn’t want to rush into demolishing the structures and then be taken to court.
The minister outlined how Forest 27 has for several years attracted controversy in the eyes of the public.
But environmental activists such as Robert Chimambo and some concerned stakeholders, say the change of heart by the State on Forest 27 to seemingly halt the demolition of structures in the area has surprised them.
Others are of the view that if the developers in Forest 27 were poor and voiceless citizens, then Government would have gone ahead to demolish the structures.
Below is the timeline regarding the controversial Forest Number 27; 1942: Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 gazetted by the colonial authorities.
1957: Reserve boundaries, comprising approximately 1764 ha (4,360 acres), declared in a Government notice.
1983: Degazetted by then-President Kenneth Kaunda to facilitate security infrastructure.
Titles to degazetted land allow for property development and a horticultural farm.
June 1994: More than 2,500 people sign Chalimbana River Catchment Conservation Committee’s petition asking for the re-gazetting of Forest Reserve No. 27.
1996: Protection of forest reserve restored by then-President Frederick Chiluba.
2012: Chalimbana River Headwaters Conservation Trust registered.
2015: Chalimbana Trust complains about encroachments and the Office of the Commissioner of Lands confirms that Forest Reserve No. 27 is a protected area.
August 2017: Then -President Edgar Lungu alters reserve boundaries, reducing the area.
September 2017: Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) orders Zambian Air Force (ZAF) projects to stop construction and restore the area to its previous state.
July 2018: Mr Lungu’s administration alters the boundaries again, excluding a number of areas from protection, including the Zambia Air Force Twin Palm Base development. 1193 ha (2948 acres) remain.
February 2019: The Patriotic Front (PF) Government alters boundaries yet again, leaving just 716 ha (1769 acres) of forest reserve.
May 2019: Chalimbana Trust obtains an injunction to force ZAF projects to obey the September 2017 order by the ZEMA.
July 2019: Injunction is overturned.
November 2019: Chalimbana Trust appeals to restore the injunction.
It will be interesting to see how the current administration will handle the issue of Forest 27.
Sobriety and level headedness will be essential in handling this sensitive and emotive issue.