‘No law was breached on Forest 27’

“I want to tell this House that even the UPND leader HH lives in Forest 27. So let us not politicise this issue.” -Ms Kapata

MANY politicians including United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema live in the much talked about Forest 27, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Jean Kapata has said. Ms Kapata said it was sad that some people were deliberately politicising the issue of Forest 27. She said no law was broken in allocating 347 plots, as alleged by some people. The minister was responding to Sioma Member of Parliament Mbololwa Subulwa after giving a Ministerial Statement on Forest 27 following a point of order that was raised last week by Mazabuka Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo. Ms Subulwa wanted to know if social media reports that Government officials have shared plots were true or it was just merely political gimmick by a certain party that wants to gain mileage in Parliament yesterday. “I want to tell this House that even the UPND leader HH lives in Forest 27. So let us not politicise this issue,” Ms Kapata said. She indicated that no traditional leader was consulted on the partial degazzetion of Forest 27 as it was State land. Ms Kapata was responding to Kafue MP Mirriam Chonya who wanted to know if Senior chief Nkomesha was consulted over the land. She also said there is no tribunal in place over the issue of Forest 27. Ms Kapata said this in response to a question by Mr Nkombo who wanted to know why Government went ahead with the allocation of plots when there was a tribunal over the matter. And in her Ministerial Statement, Ms Kapata explained that Forest 27 was not the first protected forest to have been excised.