Diamond TV reports that Former Vice President Inonge Wina’s house built on Lusaka’s forest 27 is set for demolition as she has been given 28 days in which to raze the structure.
Others served with the notice to demolition their houses are former Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya and former Mines Minister Richard Musukwa.
This is because the houses were constructed by the developers without obtaining the planning permission from the Lusaka City Council as required under the Urban and Regional Planning Act no. 3 of 2015 of the laws of Zambia.
In an interview with Diamond News, Lusaka City council Assistant Director- City Planning Chansa Mwila says the council will not allow people to continue construction of their houses without planning permits from the local authority.
Mr.Mwila says those who are affected have been given an ultimatum of up to December 28, 2021 in which to have their houses demolished failure to which the authority will move in.
And when contacted for a comment, one of the affected people Edify Hamukale who is former Southern Province Minister says he is not aware of any Enforcement notice by the local authority claiming that he is out of town.
In 2019, Former President Edgar Lungu Degazetted Forest 27 for residential and commercial purposes.
Degazetting of forests law ought to be changed so that it can be made more stringent. Most people who now live in the city of Lusaka hv no ancestral connection to this land and are oblivious of and perhaps do not care about the environmental damage that has been caused to villages in Lusaka’s hinterland.
Why waste time reporting because in reality nothing will happen…no house will be demolished just blah blah blah UPND is a government of talk no action
Yet another black eye on high level PF corruption.Well done HH please keep cleaning house .
These houses will not be demolished because they belong
To the upper class.Only structures
For poor and middle class can be
Demolished. Let’s wait and see as
Nothing will happen.
I ask this question. Why should you give a deadline if you have already decided to demolish the structure? Are you thinking that the owners of the targets will be able to move these structures to another site. You just inform them that their structures are earmarked for demolition and you move in. And this planner wants to play hero by mentioning only PF officials and leaving out those from the ruling party. Just do your job.
So the former leaders in the PF regime got a forest and shared it amongst themselves and built mansions, what a bunch of selfish clique. I mean if they even degazetted the forest for the development of properties that would benefit the country it would have even made sense. But this is clear selfishness or the worst order. The levels of corruption and theft were simply too much under the PF. Let them be demolished as soon as possible, leaders must not be left to abuse their positions simply to get what they want while the majority are languishing in poverty.
I actually do not believe that demolition is going to happen until it happens.
I feel sorry for her, she was not part of the corrupt core of the PF, and I am sure they just incorporated her into forest 27 to launder their evil acts. I was going to say don’t demolish her structure, unfortunately the structure is in a water recharging aquifer meaning forgiving her is doing her a favour but ignoring the larger interests of so many people who would be affected by the disturbed aquifer. Looking at the larger number of former PF ministers and government officials in this area, this land was just got and shared among themselves, remember plunder was a major part of their preoccupation
For those who have not followed this issue from inception please check what constitutes forest reserve 27. If people don’t know even where HH’s house is, it’s part of forest reserve 27. So when you talk of the water recharge area it’s not those plots Madam Jean Kapata said even some UPND MPs got too. Infact Mr Katuka promised to reveal the names of UPND members who also have plots there. My simple advice to us ordinary citizens is don’t put to much trust in politicians they are the same. Where we not expecting by this time to see some corruption cases unfolding in courts of law but its amnesty that has been put on the table. What happened to Faith Musonda? A clear case ati she returned the money. What is really going on ba Zambia?
My question is – was ECl a sober leader?? Wether they demolish or not,,, the degazetting was wrong in the first place someone must have told him about the importance of not contaminating that area and what suprised me even more was that despite the public outcry he never bothered to rescind his decision…really 12 august was a win for the people of zambia.
Forest reserve should remain forest reserve, but that said, How many houses in Lusaka or even Zambia have planning authorization from the councils? And is it just PF members that no planning papers for their properties? Is this selective justice? Just thinking.
to demolition their houses??
#9 Honest…all of them benefited and that’s why this planner is giving meaningless ultimatums.
I want to believe that the ultimatum is given ton comply with the law. The planners, just cant wake up on a Monday morning and send bulldozers to start demolishing. That will NOT make any difference from the people who degazetted the forest in the first place. Actually, the planners should be commended, for starting with Inonge – Former VP. Zambians now know who were behind the push to degazetting forest 27. The OUTCRY should not be directed to the PLANNERS, but ZAMBIANS should rebuke people like Inonge and SHOULD PUT more pressure, to ensure that come December, those plots are vacated and demolished. The question is HOW do we support the Planners to get those structures demolished? This is the discussion we should be having here.
I would retract this if I were diamond TV and Lusaka times because you will get sued. You are publishing malicious things about a former vp without evidence. Be very careful
The reason being give above for demolition of houses constructed in Forest 27 that “the houses were constructed by the developers without obtaining the planning permission from the Lusaka City Council as required under the Urban and Regional Planning Act no. 3 of 2015 of the laws of Zambia” is not a good one. I say so because there are so many houses constructed in Lusaka in so many areas that meet legal requirements but where developers have never obtained planning permission from Lusaka City Council all because the council does not have enough capacity in terms of personnel to ensure the provisions of the cited Act are followed. If Lusaka City Council were to go round Lusaka in areas with new houses, they would find many residents never obtained planning permission. And if that were…
…to be used as reason for demolishing constructed houses, then many new houses in Lusaka would end up being demolished.
The former Vice President is clean, she was just incorporated to build there by evil minds in PF who were trying to launder their activities. The only reason I support demolition though painful is that if we do not demolish we will be promoting the interests of a few people and ignoring the larger community of Lusaka province who are supposed to be benefitting from the recharging function of the aquifer
Peter Mwale @ 11, u hv a point my friend. Even where planning permission is sought and paid for, Lusaka City Council staff don’t bother to process it and make a decision. They just file it and well, do nothing.
I think it’s only right that some forests are left alone for wildlife! We cannot concrete everything – it’s not conducive to nature. Sorry, but I have no sympathy for people who want to encroach on every bit of forest left!
#plant a tree now please!
I was watching a video clip of a gentleman explaining on Zed Corner Face~book page how the depth of the stream has been reduced to a mere trickle from about 4 metres in raining season. …someone up stream has dammed the stream investigations need to undertaken and please plant indigenous on those plots that will be demolished. There is also need to stop construction on NRDC water aquifer and demolish all buildings blocking the seasonal streams feeding it from Munali
Just demolish all the houses wherever they are and whoever the owners are even if it is HH if laws and proper paperwork were not followed. Don’t quickly do the paperwork as an afterthought just because you want to save the property because the owner is a prominent person.
Unless I am mistaken, Forest 27 was degazetted and advertised for people to apply for plots there. If the people affected went through the laid down procedure in acquiring their pieces of land, why demolish their structures? A government has powers to degaxette a protected area to allow for residential or agricultural development. An incoming government cannot undo this unless there are special and compelling reasons for doing this , in which case the affected people need to be compensated adequately. With regard to Forest 27, I am surprised that the people being mentioned are former PF leaders as if other people did not apply. This is a clear case where the Head of State needs to intervene, otherwise people will begin to accuse him of political persecution.
I don’t understand why gigo Wina never stepped back from things clearly started to go wrong. Sad. Perhaps she go herself captured right from the start at the thuggish PF Convention to succeed Sata after his demise.
the observer – Just because houses have been constructed without council doesn’t make it right…its this type of thinking that is making money swindlers and scammers very rich in Zambia. You go to court and say that!!
kanamaso kakubeka – One of the laid down procedures is getting council approval …these PF thugs, Judges and MPs would have got it within 24 hours but they were too greedy and arrogant to share the plots among themselves
Iwe chi Kaiar Zero stfu we have freedom of expression in Zambia.Your illegal houses should be demolished too -its the law.
Gone is the old good era of KK’s Presidency (MHSRIP). It was an era when Local Councils Planning Units had trained staff who would (1) approve construction plans of a building; (2) physically inspect main stages of the building at foundation, slab, window and roof levels. Currently, these functions do not exist. The Republican Present and all Zambians should wonder where Planning Officers base their punitive actions of demolishing built houses. The President has rich sources of authentic information on which to base decisions that affect human lives. Political punitive actions must be curtailed.
Lusaka City is covered by river catchment areas of Mwembeshi River in the west, the Chalimbana River in the east and Chongwe River in north-east. A catchment area is as an area where rain drops are captured by a landscape to finally flow into a river channel. New Kasama was part of a Forest Reserve. Area of Ibex Hill, Chainda, Leopards Hill, State Lodge, Silver Rest, Palabana collectively form the Chalimbana River Catchment area. The reality is that Lusaka must grow but planting of trees and lawns are mitigation measures to help capture rainfall and conserve underground water.
We pray that Zambia shall never slide back into the cruel punitive Chiluba’s era when Chief Inyambo was forced to retreat to Sesheke; the Late Elias Chipimo sought refuge in Mporokoso; and former President RB retreated to a farm in Chipata. Many innocent people suffered and lives lost under Chiluba. Yet Zambia is diverse. Civilised governance which was restored by President Mwanawasa, sustained by RB and ECL is a culture that must be promoted by President HH.
The old lady ws a corrupt, greedy thing who couldn’t advice the boys in PF, she supported the bad things they were doing. Wht a shame, teach them a lesson tht no one is above the law. Wht goes up, does come down. Greedy old lady, u useless thing. Jst demolish them, no mercy so tht they learn a lesson.