On Saturday 29 July 2006, Vice-President Lupando Mwape laid the foundation stone of the Legacy Holdings, Mosi-oa-Tunya Hotel and Golf Estate development in the World Heritage Site in Livingstone, saying “The planned provision of permanent jobs by this Legacy Holdings project is really commendable because this sector is reported to be riddled with vices of casualisation and payment of slavery wages. Government will not hesitate to deal firmly with any investor fourd practicing this form of abuse and exploitation of the Zambia people. Those who have been hero-worshipped somewhere else based on misdirected superiority complex will not be worshipped in Livingstone and the country in general and I therefore direct Haakayobe (PS) to submit a report on these culprits within seven days so that government puts a stop to these managers’ honeymoon”.
He said the proposed project has been allocated 200 hectares of the national park.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
WORLD CONSERVATION UNION DESCRIPTION
NAME Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park
IUCN MANAGEMENT CATEGORY
II (National Park)
Natural World Heritage Site - Criteria ii, iii
BIOGEOGRAPHICAL PROVINCE 3.07.04 (Miombo Woodland/savanna)
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Along the Zambezi River on the southern border with Zimbabwe, between the Sinde River and the Songwe Gorge. The park is bounded by the river, the Dambwa Forest Reserve to the north, the municipal area of Livingstone to the east, and trust land to the south. Livingstone District, Southern Province. 17°56'S, 25°55'E
DATE AND HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT The Victoria Falls Reserve Preservation Ordinance of 1934 established the Victoria Falls Executive Committee to be responsible for the preservation of the falls area. In 1948 the National Monuments Commission established a Victoria Falls Conservancy Committee, and extended the protected area downstream to Songwe Gorge (confirmed in legislation in 1949). In 1953 the colonial Governor formed the Victoria Falls Trust, which had responsibility for the area until the national park was declared on 25 February 1972 by Statutory Instrument No. 44 (when the area came under the jurisdiction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service). There are six national monuments within the park, including the falls. Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, together with Victoria Falls National Park, were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1989.
AREA 6,860ha. Contiguous to Victoria Falls National Park (2,000ha) and Zambezi National Park (56,200ha) in Zimbabwe, which are themselves contiguous to the Matetsi-Kazuma Pan-Hwange (Wankie) complex. The complex of conservation areas in Zimbabwe covers over 1,846,700ha excluding forest reserves. The park also abuts Dambwa Forest Reserve (134,032ha) in Zambia. (Note that many authoritative sources give the area of the park as 6,600ha.)
LAND TENURE Government
ALTITUDE 833m to 915m (at the top of the falls)
PHYSICAL FEATURES The park comprises the left bank of the Zambezi River above Victoria Falls, the eastern half of the falls themselves, and a series of deep gorges below the falls. The falls are the most significant feature of the park, and when the Zambezi is in full flood (usually February or March) they form the largest curtain of falling water in the world.During these months, over 500 million litres or water per minute go over the falls, which are 1708m wide, and drop 99m at Rainbow Falls in Zambia. At low water in November flow can be reduced to around 10 million litres/minute, and the river is divided into a series of braided channels that descend in many separate falls.
Below the falls the river enters a narrow series of gorges which represent locations successively occupied by the falls earlier in their history. Since the uplifting of the Makgadikgadi Pan area some two million years ago, the Zambezi River has been cutting through the basalt, exploiting weak fissures, and forming a series of retreating gorges. Seven previous waterfalls occupied the seven gorges below the present falls, and Devil's Cataract in Zimbabwe is the starting point for cutting back to a new waterfall that will eventually leave the present lip high above the river in the gorge below.
CLIMATE Annual rainfall is 600mm-700mm, but the spray thrown up by the falls is partly responsible for sustaining the 'rainforest' opposite the falls. Mean annual temperature is 20°C.
VEGETATION The predominant vegetation is mopane Colophospermum mopane forest with small areas of teak and miombo woodland, and a narrow band of riverine forest along the Zambezi. The riverine 'rainforest' within the waterfall splash zone is of particular interest, a fragile ecosystem of discontinuous forest on sandy alluvium, dependent upon maintenance of abundant water and high humidity resulting from the spray plume. Tree species within this forest include Acacia nigricans, Afzelia quanzensis, ebony Diospyros mespiliformis, ivory palm Hyphaene ventricosa, muchiningi Mimusops zeyheri, African olive Olea africana, date palm Phoenix reclinata, waterbroom Syzygium guineense, muskili Trichilia emetica, and Cape and strangler figs Ficus spp. Herbaceous species include Sebaea pentandra, Lobelia kirkii and Gladiolus unguiculatus, while the dense fern growth includes Cheilanthos farinosa.
FAUNA Several herds of elephant Loxodonta africana (V) occur in Zambezi National Park, occasionally crossing to the islands and Zambian mainland during the dry season when water levels are low. There are small herds of buffalo Syncerus caffer and wildebeeste Connochaetes taurinus, as well as zebra Equus burchelli, warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus, giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis and bushpig Potamocherus porcus, and schools of Hippopotamus amphibius are frequent above the falls. Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus can be seen in the gorges below the falls. Vervet monkey Cercopithecus aethiops and chacma baboon Papio ursinus are common. Lion Panthera leo and leopard P. pardus are occasionally seen. Taita falcon Falco fasciinucha (scarce but widespread in eastern and central Africa) breeds in the gorges, as do black stork Ciconia nigra, black eagle Aquilla verreauxi, peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus and augur buzzard Buteo rufofuscatus augur. Victoria Falls forms a geographical barrier between the distinct fish faunas of the upper and middle Zambezi River. Thirty-nine species of fish have been recorded from the waters below the falls, including butter barbel, eastern bottlenose, chessa Distichodus schenga and nkupe, and eighty-four from the waters above the falls, including African mottled eel, tigerfish Hydrocynus vittatus, Kafue pike and silver barbel.
CULTURAL HERITAGE Stone artefacts of Homo habilis from 3 million years ago have been found near the falls, as have stone tools indicating prolonged occupation of the area in the Middle Stone Age (50,000 years ago). Weapons, adornments and digging tools indicatethe presence of hunter-gathering communities in the Late Stone Age (from 10,000 to 2,000 years ago), displaced about 2,000 years ago by farmers using iron tools, who kept livestock and lived in villages.
LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION Ethnic composition of the people living in the falls area outside the parks is a mixture of recent immigrants and long-term occupants. The Tonga people have been living in the area for at least seven centuries, latterly with Subiya, Leya, Toka and Totela (and with smaller numbers of Nanzwa, Yeyi and Mbukushu). More recent immigrants included Lozi, Kololo, Ndebele and English language speakers.
VISITORS AND VISITOR FACILITIES This is one of the most frequently visited national parks in Zambia. Facilities include an hotel, two restaurants, a non-catering camp (70 beds) and a camping ground. The park is 11km from Livingstone, where further tourist facilities are available, and which is accessible by road, rail and air. There is a series of footpaths in the falls area, including to Knife Edge Bridge, and a field museum which displays some of the archaeological excavation.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND FACILITIES Apart from the archaeological museum there are no research facilities within the park, although facilities are available at Livingstone Museum in nearby Livingstone.
CONSERVATION VALUE The Mosi-Oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls National Park is one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls. The falls and associated gorges are an outstanding example of river capture and the erosive forces of the water still continues to sculpture the hard basalts.
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT The principal objective guiding management of the park is to conserve the falls area in its natural state. Mosi-Oa-Tunya is not regarded as a major area for wildlife conservation, although the policy is that wildlife should be protected and visible to tourists insofar as is possible. In the 1970s there was a 1,000ha fenced zoological park up-river from the falls, containing both exotic and native species. However, this was closed to the public in 1981. The remaining area is protected by law against hunting, and destruction of vegetation or geomorphological features. In keeping with the primary objective, development in the immediate vicinity of the falls themselves is largely restricted to the provision of footpaths, and to Knife Edge Bridge. The management plan drawn up for the park under the auspices of the National Conservation Committee, sets the overall management objectives of the park, and specific priorities for five identified zones. However, although the plan has been approved in principle, the financial and administrative resources required for its implementation are not available at present.
The Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe are currently carrying out an environmental impact assessment for an area 30km around the falls. Phase II of this project will invovle developing a master plan for the area. The project is being funded by CIDA and is being coordinated by IUCN. The report is expected to be completed by the end of the year (National Heritage Conservation Commission, pers. comm., 1995).
MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS There has been quite a range of development within the park, much before its establishment. Buildings include an hotel and other leisure facilities (lodge, chalets, boat club, field museum, and a curio sellers shelter), the HEP station andancillary works, housing for national parks and ZESCO staff, and certain old homesteads and villages. Some of the development associated with the power generation facilities is particularly intrusive. The railway line and road between Livingstone and Kazungula run through the park above the falls, and the road and rail links between Zambia and Zimbabwe bisect the park, and then cross the river in a spectacular bridge over the second gorge (Falls Bridge). Zambian customs and immigration services have facilities within the park. Cattle grazing has become well established within the park boundaries, and there is gradual encroachment of small-scale cultivation of maize and sorghum. The town of Livingstone is expanding rapidly, and local people and businesses are not currently motivated towards nature conservation. The situation is perhaps exacerbated by insufficient funds and manpower available to the park authorities. The 'rainforest' is vulnerable to disturbance by trampling, which allows penetration by ruderal species such as Lantana camara, and when grossly disturbed the forest cannot regenerate easily, giving way to xeric scrub. The proposed construction of a third dam on the Zambezi River would flood several gorges within the park (J. Thorsell, pers. comm., 1993).
STAFF No current information
BUDGET No current information
LOCAL ADDRESSES
Wildlife Ranger, PO Box 60174, Livingstone. Under the terms of the Decentralization Act (1980), administrative responsibility is vested in Livingstone District Council (PO Box 60048, Livingstone), although management is undertaken by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
The Natural Heritage Conservation Commission, Heritage House (formerly Kent House) Musi-o-Tunya Road, PO Box 60124, Livingstone, Zambia (Tel: 260-03-320 481; Fax: 260-03-324 509).
REFERENCES
Chabwela, H.N. (1983). Patterns of visitor use of the Victoria Falls. African Social Research 35.
Clark, J.D. (1952). Victoria Falls Handbook. First Edition. National Monuments Commission, Livingstone.
Fagan, B.M. (1964). Victoria Falls Handbook. Second Edition. National Monuments Commission.
National Conservation Committee (1987). Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park Management Plan. Unpublished Report, NCC, Lusaka
Phillipson, D.W. (Ed.) (1975). Mosi-oa-Tunya. A handbook to the Victoria Falls Region. Longman.
Zambia/Zimbabwe (1988). Nomination of Victoria Falls/Mosi-Oa-Tunya as a World Heritage Site. Ministry of Tourism, Zambia, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Zimbabwe
DATE 1984, revised April 1989, October 1995
IUCN MANAGEMENT CATEGORY
II (National Park)
Natural World Heritage Site - Criteria ii, iii
BIOGEOGRAPHICAL PROVINCE 3.07.04 (Miombo Woodland/savanna)
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Along the Zambezi River on the southern border with Zimbabwe, between the Sinde River and the Songwe Gorge. The park is bounded by the river, the Dambwa Forest Reserve to the north, the municipal area of Livingstone to the east, and trust land to the south. Livingstone District, Southern Province. 17°56'S, 25°55'E
DATE AND HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT The Victoria Falls Reserve Preservation Ordinance of 1934 established the Victoria Falls Executive Committee to be responsible for the preservation of the falls area. In 1948 the National Monuments Commission established a Victoria Falls Conservancy Committee, and extended the protected area downstream to Songwe Gorge (confirmed in legislation in 1949). In 1953 the colonial Governor formed the Victoria Falls Trust, which had responsibility for the area until the national park was declared on 25 February 1972 by Statutory Instrument No. 44 (when the area came under the jurisdiction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service). There are six national monuments within the park, including the falls. Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, together with Victoria Falls National Park, were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1989.
AREA 6,860ha. Contiguous to Victoria Falls National Park (2,000ha) and Zambezi National Park (56,200ha) in Zimbabwe, which are themselves contiguous to the Matetsi-Kazuma Pan-Hwange (Wankie) complex. The complex of conservation areas in Zimbabwe covers over 1,846,700ha excluding forest reserves. The park also abuts Dambwa Forest Reserve (134,032ha) in Zambia. (Note that many authoritative sources give the area of the park as 6,600ha.)
LAND TENURE Government
ALTITUDE 833m to 915m (at the top of the falls)
PHYSICAL FEATURES The park comprises the left bank of the Zambezi River above Victoria Falls, the eastern half of the falls themselves, and a series of deep gorges below the falls. The falls are the most significant feature of the park, and when the Zambezi is in full flood (usually February or March) they form the largest curtain of falling water in the world.During these months, over 500 million litres or water per minute go over the falls, which are 1708m wide, and drop 99m at Rainbow Falls in Zambia. At low water in November flow can be reduced to around 10 million litres/minute, and the river is divided into a series of braided channels that descend in many separate falls.
Below the falls the river enters a narrow series of gorges which represent locations successively occupied by the falls earlier in their history. Since the uplifting of the Makgadikgadi Pan area some two million years ago, the Zambezi River has been cutting through the basalt, exploiting weak fissures, and forming a series of retreating gorges. Seven previous waterfalls occupied the seven gorges below the present falls, and Devil's Cataract in Zimbabwe is the starting point for cutting back to a new waterfall that will eventually leave the present lip high above the river in the gorge below.
CLIMATE Annual rainfall is 600mm-700mm, but the spray thrown up by the falls is partly responsible for sustaining the 'rainforest' opposite the falls. Mean annual temperature is 20°C.
VEGETATION The predominant vegetation is mopane Colophospermum mopane forest with small areas of teak and miombo woodland, and a narrow band of riverine forest along the Zambezi. The riverine 'rainforest' within the waterfall splash zone is of particular interest, a fragile ecosystem of discontinuous forest on sandy alluvium, dependent upon maintenance of abundant water and high humidity resulting from the spray plume. Tree species within this forest include Acacia nigricans, Afzelia quanzensis, ebony Diospyros mespiliformis, ivory palm Hyphaene ventricosa, muchiningi Mimusops zeyheri, African olive Olea africana, date palm Phoenix reclinata, waterbroom Syzygium guineense, muskili Trichilia emetica, and Cape and strangler figs Ficus spp. Herbaceous species include Sebaea pentandra, Lobelia kirkii and Gladiolus unguiculatus, while the dense fern growth includes Cheilanthos farinosa.
FAUNA Several herds of elephant Loxodonta africana (V) occur in Zambezi National Park, occasionally crossing to the islands and Zambian mainland during the dry season when water levels are low. There are small herds of buffalo Syncerus caffer and wildebeeste Connochaetes taurinus, as well as zebra Equus burchelli, warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus, giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis and bushpig Potamocherus porcus, and schools of Hippopotamus amphibius are frequent above the falls. Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus can be seen in the gorges below the falls. Vervet monkey Cercopithecus aethiops and chacma baboon Papio ursinus are common. Lion Panthera leo and leopard P. pardus are occasionally seen. Taita falcon Falco fasciinucha (scarce but widespread in eastern and central Africa) breeds in the gorges, as do black stork Ciconia nigra, black eagle Aquilla verreauxi, peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus and augur buzzard Buteo rufofuscatus augur. Victoria Falls forms a geographical barrier between the distinct fish faunas of the upper and middle Zambezi River. Thirty-nine species of fish have been recorded from the waters below the falls, including butter barbel, eastern bottlenose, chessa Distichodus schenga and nkupe, and eighty-four from the waters above the falls, including African mottled eel, tigerfish Hydrocynus vittatus, Kafue pike and silver barbel.
CULTURAL HERITAGE Stone artefacts of Homo habilis from 3 million years ago have been found near the falls, as have stone tools indicating prolonged occupation of the area in the Middle Stone Age (50,000 years ago). Weapons, adornments and digging tools indicatethe presence of hunter-gathering communities in the Late Stone Age (from 10,000 to 2,000 years ago), displaced about 2,000 years ago by farmers using iron tools, who kept livestock and lived in villages.
LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION Ethnic composition of the people living in the falls area outside the parks is a mixture of recent immigrants and long-term occupants. The Tonga people have been living in the area for at least seven centuries, latterly with Subiya, Leya, Toka and Totela (and with smaller numbers of Nanzwa, Yeyi and Mbukushu). More recent immigrants included Lozi, Kololo, Ndebele and English language speakers.
VISITORS AND VISITOR FACILITIES This is one of the most frequently visited national parks in Zambia. Facilities include an hotel, two restaurants, a non-catering camp (70 beds) and a camping ground. The park is 11km from Livingstone, where further tourist facilities are available, and which is accessible by road, rail and air. There is a series of footpaths in the falls area, including to Knife Edge Bridge, and a field museum which displays some of the archaeological excavation.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND FACILITIES Apart from the archaeological museum there are no research facilities within the park, although facilities are available at Livingstone Museum in nearby Livingstone.
CONSERVATION VALUE The Mosi-Oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls National Park is one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls. The falls and associated gorges are an outstanding example of river capture and the erosive forces of the water still continues to sculpture the hard basalts.
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT The principal objective guiding management of the park is to conserve the falls area in its natural state. Mosi-Oa-Tunya is not regarded as a major area for wildlife conservation, although the policy is that wildlife should be protected and visible to tourists insofar as is possible. In the 1970s there was a 1,000ha fenced zoological park up-river from the falls, containing both exotic and native species. However, this was closed to the public in 1981. The remaining area is protected by law against hunting, and destruction of vegetation or geomorphological features. In keeping with the primary objective, development in the immediate vicinity of the falls themselves is largely restricted to the provision of footpaths, and to Knife Edge Bridge. The management plan drawn up for the park under the auspices of the National Conservation Committee, sets the overall management objectives of the park, and specific priorities for five identified zones. However, although the plan has been approved in principle, the financial and administrative resources required for its implementation are not available at present.
The Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe are currently carrying out an environmental impact assessment for an area 30km around the falls. Phase II of this project will invovle developing a master plan for the area. The project is being funded by CIDA and is being coordinated by IUCN. The report is expected to be completed by the end of the year (National Heritage Conservation Commission, pers. comm., 1995).
MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS There has been quite a range of development within the park, much before its establishment. Buildings include an hotel and other leisure facilities (lodge, chalets, boat club, field museum, and a curio sellers shelter), the HEP station andancillary works, housing for national parks and ZESCO staff, and certain old homesteads and villages. Some of the development associated with the power generation facilities is particularly intrusive. The railway line and road between Livingstone and Kazungula run through the park above the falls, and the road and rail links between Zambia and Zimbabwe bisect the park, and then cross the river in a spectacular bridge over the second gorge (Falls Bridge). Zambian customs and immigration services have facilities within the park. Cattle grazing has become well established within the park boundaries, and there is gradual encroachment of small-scale cultivation of maize and sorghum. The town of Livingstone is expanding rapidly, and local people and businesses are not currently motivated towards nature conservation. The situation is perhaps exacerbated by insufficient funds and manpower available to the park authorities. The 'rainforest' is vulnerable to disturbance by trampling, which allows penetration by ruderal species such as Lantana camara, and when grossly disturbed the forest cannot regenerate easily, giving way to xeric scrub. The proposed construction of a third dam on the Zambezi River would flood several gorges within the park (J. Thorsell, pers. comm., 1993).
STAFF No current information
BUDGET No current information
LOCAL ADDRESSES
Wildlife Ranger, PO Box 60174, Livingstone. Under the terms of the Decentralization Act (1980), administrative responsibility is vested in Livingstone District Council (PO Box 60048, Livingstone), although management is undertaken by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
The Natural Heritage Conservation Commission, Heritage House (formerly Kent House) Musi-o-Tunya Road, PO Box 60124, Livingstone, Zambia (Tel: 260-03-320 481; Fax: 260-03-324 509).
REFERENCES
Chabwela, H.N. (1983). Patterns of visitor use of the Victoria Falls. African Social Research 35.
Clark, J.D. (1952). Victoria Falls Handbook. First Edition. National Monuments Commission, Livingstone.
Fagan, B.M. (1964). Victoria Falls Handbook. Second Edition. National Monuments Commission.
National Conservation Committee (1987). Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park Management Plan. Unpublished Report, NCC, Lusaka
Phillipson, D.W. (Ed.) (1975). Mosi-oa-Tunya. A handbook to the Victoria Falls Region. Longman.
Zambia/Zimbabwe (1988). Nomination of Victoria Falls/Mosi-Oa-Tunya as a World Heritage Site. Ministry of Tourism, Zambia, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Zimbabwe
DATE 1984, revised April 1989, October 1995
LAYING THE EGG
The foundation stone for the Legacy Holdings development in our World Heritage Site in Livingstone, Zambia, will be laid today by the Vice-President of Zambia. It is expected that those present will include the Company Directors: J.J. Sikazwe, who is a member of the Zambia International Business Advisory Council, Chairman of the Tourism Council of Zambia, prime architect of the Citizens' Economic Advisory Bill; Renatus Mushinge, who is the Legacy Holdings Development Director and a brother of the Financial Director of the Zambia Wildlife Authority, Tom Mushinge. Other Directors: Dorrestein, Eksteen and Yates will doubtless be up from South Africa.
LAYING THE EGG
The foundation stone for the Legacy Holdings development in our World Heritage Site in Livingstone, Zambia, will be laid today by the Vice-President of Zambia. It is expected that those present will include the Company Directors: J.J. Sikazwe, who is a member of the Zambia International Business Advisory Council, Chairman of the Tourism Council of Zambia, prime architect of the Citizens' Economic Advisory Bill; Renatus Mushinge, who is the Legacy Holdings Development Director and a brother of the Financial Director of the Zambia Wildlife Authority, Tom Mushinge. Other Directors: Dorrestein, Eksteen and Yates will doubtless be up from South Africa.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
INTERVIEW WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
On Tuesday 25 July, 06, WECSZ interviewed Patson Zulu (Manager - Inspectorate) of the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), who stated that the EIA tendered by Legacy Holdings Zambia Limited was not satisfactory, and that:
- A new plan will be submitted by the end of the month
- A public hearing will take place in Livingstone in September
- ZAWA is signing a lease with Legacy on Thursday
- President Mwanawasa is laying the stone on Friday
- WESCZ asked for a copy of the EIA and the project document, but Zulu said we should not bother as it had been rejected
- He will send WECSZ a copy of the EIA as soon as they receive it
- ECZ would be hiring an EIA consultant to make a vegetation assessment of future impacts etc
Zulu said that they had no knowledge of the 'walking with lion' project in Livingstone
- A new plan will be submitted by the end of the month
- A public hearing will take place in Livingstone in September
- ZAWA is signing a lease with Legacy on Thursday
- President Mwanawasa is laying the stone on Friday
- WESCZ asked for a copy of the EIA and the project document, but Zulu said we should not bother as it had been rejected
- He will send WECSZ a copy of the EIA as soon as they receive it
- ECZ would be hiring an EIA consultant to make a vegetation assessment of future impacts etc
Zulu said that they had no knowledge of the 'walking with lion' project in Livingstone
PATENTS AND COMPANIES REGISTRATION OFFICE
General particulars
Registration No 60852
Date Of Incorp 21-December-2oo5
Company Name LEGACY HOLDINGS ZAMBIA LIMITED
Articles 1 Explanation (1) submitted Registered Office NO.4 OMELO MUMBA ROAD RHODESPARK
Postal Address P.O. BOX 39528
City LUSAKA
Country ZAMBIA
Nominal Capital 10,000,000.00 Zambian kwacha
Number Of Shares 10,000,000 liability: Limited by shares
Date of Financial year 01-April-2006
Certificate Signed by B A KATEBE
Nature of Business SAFARIS AND TRAVEL AGENTS
Company Directors
Surname Forenames Passport No NRC Address
CHITALU VALENTINE ZKO15775 160 Kudu Road, Kabulonga
DORRESTEIN ALBERTUS. H Cloud End West Street South
Morningside Johannesburg
EKSTEEN JOHN PETER CHARL 427723290 No. 6 Sapphire Place Kloofendal
Extension 2 Roodepoort Johannesburg
MUSHINGE RENATUS 193196/66 Plot No. 17121 Katima Mulilo Road
Olympia Park
SIKAZWE JACOB JONES ZH 57208 136425/47/1 Plot No. 609/12/E Chamber Valley
YATES NEIL GEORGE 440392343 21 Gleneagles Drive Silver Lakes
Pretoria 0054
Shareholders - Person
Secretary - person
Surname Forenames PPNo. NRC Address
MUSHINGE RENATUS 193196/66/1 PLOT NO.17l21,KATIMA MULILO ROAD,OLYMPIA PARK
Registration No 60852
Date Of Incorp 21-December-2oo5
Company Name LEGACY HOLDINGS ZAMBIA LIMITED
Articles 1 Explanation (1) submitted Registered Office NO.4 OMELO MUMBA ROAD RHODESPARK
Postal Address P.O. BOX 39528
City LUSAKA
Country ZAMBIA
Nominal Capital 10,000,000.00 Zambian kwacha
Number Of Shares 10,000,000 liability: Limited by shares
Date of Financial year 01-April-2006
Certificate Signed by B A KATEBE
Nature of Business SAFARIS AND TRAVEL AGENTS
Company Directors
Surname Forenames Passport No NRC Address
CHITALU VALENTINE ZKO15775 160 Kudu Road, Kabulonga
DORRESTEIN ALBERTUS. H Cloud End West Street South
Morningside Johannesburg
EKSTEEN JOHN PETER CHARL 427723290 No. 6 Sapphire Place Kloofendal
Extension 2 Roodepoort Johannesburg
MUSHINGE RENATUS 193196/66 Plot No. 17121 Katima Mulilo Road
Olympia Park
SIKAZWE JACOB JONES ZH 57208 136425/47/1 Plot No. 609/12/E Chamber Valley
YATES NEIL GEORGE 440392343 21 Gleneagles Drive Silver Lakes
Pretoria 0054
Shareholders - Person
Secretary - person
Surname Forenames PPNo. NRC Address
MUSHINGE RENATUS 193196/66/1 PLOT NO.17l21,KATIMA MULILO ROAD,OLYMPIA PARK
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
NATIONAL PARK NO. 17: MOSI-OA-TUNYA
NATIONAL PARK NO. 17: MOSI-OA-TUNYA
Starting at a point on the left of the Sinde River, where it is crossed by the Livingstone-Mambova main road, the boundary follows the northern edge of this road in an easterly direction to its junction with Mbile Drive; thence northwards and eastwards following the northern edge of this road to where it is crossed by the water pipeline serving the aerodrome; thence in a straight line due south for a distance of approximately 3,000 metres; thence in a straightline due east for a distance of approximately 3,000 metres to where it meets the Livingstone Municipal Boundary approximately 2 kilometres from the nearest point on the left bank of the Zambezi River; thence south-eastwards along this boundary to a point approximately 400 metres from the nearest point on the left bank of the Zambezi River; thence in a south-easterly direction following a line parallel to the said bank of the Zambezi River and 400 metres therefrom to a point 400 metres from the right bank of the Maramba River; thence in a north-easterly direction following a line parallel to the said bank of the Maramba River and 400 metres therefrom to where it cuts the eastern boundary of the Zambia Railways 100 metres stripe reserve; thence in a straight line south-eastwards to Beacon BK1 on the Livingstone area boundary; thence due south to a point on the left bank of the Songwe River approximately 4 kilometres from its confluence with the Zambezi River; thence down the left bank of the Songwe River in a south-westerly direction to its confluence with the Zambezi River; thence in a straight line westwards to the nearest point in the Zambezi River on the International Boundary between Zimbabwe and Zambia; thence in a general north-westerly direction upstream along the said International Boundary to the point thereon nearest to, and opposite the junction of, the left banks of the Zambezi and Sinde Rivers; thence in a straight line southwards to that junction of the river banks; thence in a general northwesterly direction up the left bank of the Sinde River to the point of starting. The above-described area, in extent 66 square kilometers approximately, is situate in the Livingstone District and is shown bordered in red on Plan No. N.P. 17, deposited in the office of the Surveyor-General and dated 1st February, 1971.
Starting at a point on the left of the Sinde River, where it is crossed by the Livingstone-Mambova main road, the boundary follows the northern edge of this road in an easterly direction to its junction with Mbile Drive; thence northwards and eastwards following the northern edge of this road to where it is crossed by the water pipeline serving the aerodrome; thence in a straight line due south for a distance of approximately 3,000 metres; thence in a straightline due east for a distance of approximately 3,000 metres to where it meets the Livingstone Municipal Boundary approximately 2 kilometres from the nearest point on the left bank of the Zambezi River; thence south-eastwards along this boundary to a point approximately 400 metres from the nearest point on the left bank of the Zambezi River; thence in a south-easterly direction following a line parallel to the said bank of the Zambezi River and 400 metres therefrom to a point 400 metres from the right bank of the Maramba River; thence in a north-easterly direction following a line parallel to the said bank of the Maramba River and 400 metres therefrom to where it cuts the eastern boundary of the Zambia Railways 100 metres stripe reserve; thence in a straight line south-eastwards to Beacon BK1 on the Livingstone area boundary; thence due south to a point on the left bank of the Songwe River approximately 4 kilometres from its confluence with the Zambezi River; thence down the left bank of the Songwe River in a south-westerly direction to its confluence with the Zambezi River; thence in a straight line westwards to the nearest point in the Zambezi River on the International Boundary between Zimbabwe and Zambia; thence in a general north-westerly direction upstream along the said International Boundary to the point thereon nearest to, and opposite the junction of, the left banks of the Zambezi and Sinde Rivers; thence in a straight line southwards to that junction of the river banks; thence in a general northwesterly direction up the left bank of the Sinde River to the point of starting. The above-described area, in extent 66 square kilometers approximately, is situate in the Livingstone District and is shown bordered in red on Plan No. N.P. 17, deposited in the office of the Surveyor-General and dated 1st February, 1971.
Monday, July 24, 2006
LEGACY DESECRATION
VICTORIA FALLS PLANNED AND SANCTIONED DESECRATION
The Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia
21st July 2006
1 INTRODUCTION
The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and its parent Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (MTENR) have sanctioned the building of an eighteen-hole golf course, two hotel resorts, a club house and chalets in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park lying on the edge of Livingstone. On Thursday 27 July, Legacy Hotels and Resorts International are due to sign a Tourism Concession Agreement with ZAWA, and on Friday 28 July, the President of Zambia will lay the foundation stone.
This outrageous planned desecration of what is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), World Heritage Site has begun despite the rejection of the project’s environmental impact assessment by the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) - and a call by it for greater consultations, and the objections of the local ZAWA office and of the Natural Heritage Conservation Commission. No application has been made to the Livingstone City Council, and no consultations of any kind carried out with the Natural Resources Consultative Forum of Zambia (NRCF) - established by the MTENR to oversee natural resource and conservation concerns, or with civil society in general. And, in flagrant disregard for international conventions, approval has not been given by UNESCO for the scheme, threatening its World Heritage status and prospects for the area’s conservation and economic development as a major world tourism destination. As the Park is currently receiving the investment attention of the World Bank under the SEED programme, it seems likely that they are not aware of the development.
2 THE AREA
The Victoria Falls and its surrounds - both in Zimbabwe and Zambia, is a World Heritage Site and is therefore protected by international convention. It is also a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) as declared by Birdlife International.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) management plan (The Strategic Environmental Assessment of Developments around Victoria Falls, June 1996) for the area states categorically that no developments should be allowed within the boundaries of the site, and that the wilderness value and the biodiversity of the area are prime resources which have to be maintained. This is further endorsed by ZAWA’s Mosi oa Tunya General Management Plan (GMP) of May 1999 which inter alia states:
A national park, by definition must possess nationally significant natural or cultural resources and retain a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of a resource;
Section 3 (Planning Guidelines) states clearly:
“Management emphasis in national parks will be to minimize all undesirable human impacts on wildlife populations”;
Section 3..5.1 (Natural Resources) states the priorities for the management of the national park will include:
Protecting and conserving the Zambezi River and its riverine vegetation. Any development – local, national, international – which threatens the integrity of the riverine ecosystem should be opposed in the strongest terms.
Figure 7 in the GMP illustrates the distribution of management zones within the national park.
A narrow river-side path route is provided between the Maramba River and the present Sun Hotel site for pedestrian access. The rest of that sector is designated for general tourism activity where permanent structures cannot be erected without full justification. Permitted activities in the Tourism Zone include only: game drives; escorted walks and picnics.
The narrow, river-side development zone north of the Maramba River will be restricted to existing developments and to jetties, information centres, car parks, toilets and picnic sites. In this area “…no new leases will be considered…These limitations are imposed to keep development to a minimum and safeguard the corridor used by wildlife in this narrow and restricted part of the park.”
The resorts are being built on that specifically identified narrow part of the national park where elephant cross the river and move through to the gorges - an area of major conservation importance for water birds and other wildlife, and also the only part of the river near the Victoria Falls accessible to the people of Livingstone. The road that runs from the cultural center along the Maramba River to the confluence is a public road and any change in its status requires that it be de-gazetted
3 THE DEVELOPMENT
The two hotels are to be built on either side of the Maramba River near its confluence with the Zambezi. The golf course will span either side of the Maramba River, surrounding Maramba River Lodge and extend up to the bridge that crosses the Maramba River on the Mosi o Tunya Road. Two bridges are to be built across the Maramba River, one near the confluence and one further along to allow golfers to cross. These developments are all in complete contradiction to the General Management Plan.
On the 20th July 2006 at least three beacons marking, apparently, some of the corners of the Legacy site, were erected. A vehicle belonging to Turner Construction, and some workers constructing the foundation stone near Maramba Cultural Village were also seen.
4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
4.1 Wildlife
Elephant frequent the area between Sun Hotels and the Maramba River, their passage hindered by increasing tourist activity and the developments built to support them. The area in question is the last remaining intact area of good vegetation where elephant are free from human pressure. It is crucial that this area remains undeveloped and conserved as a route for animals within the Park and those crossing the river to travel to the gorge and the Mukuni area.
The IUCN management plan states “there should be access to the riverbank and animal crossing points”. The Legacy development ignores this stricture. In the case of Sun Hotels, they failed to solve the baboon and elephant problem and have fenced in order to keep the elephant out. How will Legacy cope with elephant, baboon, hippo if Sun Hotels have failed? ZAWA’s recent directive that all fences in the Park be taken down - including Maramba River Lodge and Sun International, will increase the number of people killed, and that of elephant in retaliation. And an unfenced golf course will place golfers at risk. Should ZAWA relent and allow Legacy to fence the area, it would cut off elephant and other wildlife from the other sections of the Park and the gorges below the Falls. There are already problems of elephant raiding villagers’ crops and destroying life and property due to their normal routes being disturbed.
Tourism is beginning to expand in Livingstone, and apart from the Victoria Falls, one of the main attractions is the wildlife to be found in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park. The present fenced area of the Park is being seriously degraded by elephant which have stripped and ring-barked trees. The area allocated as a golf course is prime elephant feeding and resting ground with thick forest and undergrowth, giving them some respite from the pressure of helicopters and microlights, tourist activities and lodges, hotels, farms and villagers. The area is also a critically important hippo grazing area, and the Maramba River confluence is important for crocodile viewing and for water birds. As an undeveloped area with minimal road access, the area is crucial for breeding and feeding grounds for a number of species.
WECSZ and the Livingstone Museum has, twice a year for the past ten years, conducted a bi-annual water bird count in July and January along this stretch of the Zambezi and the Maramba. The new development will impact on this study as the count includes the area 10km up river of the Victoria Falls. Already river access for this type of study has been cut off by the Sun Hotels, Waterfront, Boat Club and other developments, so that the Legacy development will leave only the fenced area of the Park, a comparatively small part of the river to conduct a census of water birds (49 species of birds were identified on the north bank on a recent survey by WECSZ).
4.2 Vegetation
The IUCN report states that no mature trees or riparian vegetation should be cut down. In a study by the WECSZ, a total of 54 species of woody plants were recorded on the right bank of the river. It was found to be heavily infested in places with exotic Lantana, melia and gums (Eucalyptus); apart from these the indigenous vegetation appears intact, Kigelia Africana, Combretum, Acacia, Diospyrus, Terminalia, Bauhina are just some of the 54 species of trees recorded and are of good size, being undisturbed by human encroachment. Of special interest is tree wistaria, Bolusanthus speciosus, a marginal species for Zambia but an endemic monobasic genus of the Zambezian phytochorological region. This species by itself is enough to recommend the site for preservation, as it is of frequent occurrence here and the trees are of good form and height, thus offering Zambians a unique opportunity to see this beautiful tree within their own country.
4.3 People’s access to the Zambezi and Maramba Rivers
This stretch of river - particularly between the Maramba River and the Falls, has always been a favourite spot for picnics and social outings – though it has reduced recently because of the thugs and bad roads. It is crucial that this area is kept open for Zambians. The Legacy Holdings Development will permanently remove all the river frontage from the general public.
4.4 Golf courses
The Livingstone Golf Course has just opened in town after a 2 million US$ renovation. This is the second oldest golf course in Zambia, and is a historic site. The Elephant Hills golf course is opposite the proposed Legacy site across the river. There is no need for another golf course.
5 CONCLUSION
Livingstone residents are not against development. They need and want development. But one of the main attractions for visitors (and hence the thousands of visitors every year) is the Victoria Falls, the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park and the wildlife in the area. IUCN stresses that one of the principle attractions of the area to visitors is its perceived “wilderness” value and “the juxtaposition of natural wild area with modern visitor amenities. If this wilderness is lost due to over-development, then the visitors will not come and the economy and social structures will suffer.” IUCN Victoria falls – Skeleton Management Plan Part 1. Quite simply, if the Park is destroyed through over-development many of the visitors will stay away.
However, as a World Heritage Site it is incumbent on us to protect it for all mankind by respecting and using the planning and conservation frameworks already available in a long-sighted and conscientious manner that are not driven by short-term commercial motives.
The Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia
21st July 2006
1 INTRODUCTION
The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and its parent Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (MTENR) have sanctioned the building of an eighteen-hole golf course, two hotel resorts, a club house and chalets in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park lying on the edge of Livingstone. On Thursday 27 July, Legacy Hotels and Resorts International are due to sign a Tourism Concession Agreement with ZAWA, and on Friday 28 July, the President of Zambia will lay the foundation stone.
This outrageous planned desecration of what is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), World Heritage Site has begun despite the rejection of the project’s environmental impact assessment by the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) - and a call by it for greater consultations, and the objections of the local ZAWA office and of the Natural Heritage Conservation Commission. No application has been made to the Livingstone City Council, and no consultations of any kind carried out with the Natural Resources Consultative Forum of Zambia (NRCF) - established by the MTENR to oversee natural resource and conservation concerns, or with civil society in general. And, in flagrant disregard for international conventions, approval has not been given by UNESCO for the scheme, threatening its World Heritage status and prospects for the area’s conservation and economic development as a major world tourism destination. As the Park is currently receiving the investment attention of the World Bank under the SEED programme, it seems likely that they are not aware of the development.
2 THE AREA
The Victoria Falls and its surrounds - both in Zimbabwe and Zambia, is a World Heritage Site and is therefore protected by international convention. It is also a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) as declared by Birdlife International.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) management plan (The Strategic Environmental Assessment of Developments around Victoria Falls, June 1996) for the area states categorically that no developments should be allowed within the boundaries of the site, and that the wilderness value and the biodiversity of the area are prime resources which have to be maintained. This is further endorsed by ZAWA’s Mosi oa Tunya General Management Plan (GMP) of May 1999 which inter alia states:
A national park, by definition must possess nationally significant natural or cultural resources and retain a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of a resource;
Section 3 (Planning Guidelines) states clearly:
“Management emphasis in national parks will be to minimize all undesirable human impacts on wildlife populations”;
Section 3..5.1 (Natural Resources) states the priorities for the management of the national park will include:
Protecting and conserving the Zambezi River and its riverine vegetation. Any development – local, national, international – which threatens the integrity of the riverine ecosystem should be opposed in the strongest terms.
Figure 7 in the GMP illustrates the distribution of management zones within the national park.
A narrow river-side path route is provided between the Maramba River and the present Sun Hotel site for pedestrian access. The rest of that sector is designated for general tourism activity where permanent structures cannot be erected without full justification. Permitted activities in the Tourism Zone include only: game drives; escorted walks and picnics.
The narrow, river-side development zone north of the Maramba River will be restricted to existing developments and to jetties, information centres, car parks, toilets and picnic sites. In this area “…no new leases will be considered…These limitations are imposed to keep development to a minimum and safeguard the corridor used by wildlife in this narrow and restricted part of the park.”
The resorts are being built on that specifically identified narrow part of the national park where elephant cross the river and move through to the gorges - an area of major conservation importance for water birds and other wildlife, and also the only part of the river near the Victoria Falls accessible to the people of Livingstone. The road that runs from the cultural center along the Maramba River to the confluence is a public road and any change in its status requires that it be de-gazetted
3 THE DEVELOPMENT
The two hotels are to be built on either side of the Maramba River near its confluence with the Zambezi. The golf course will span either side of the Maramba River, surrounding Maramba River Lodge and extend up to the bridge that crosses the Maramba River on the Mosi o Tunya Road. Two bridges are to be built across the Maramba River, one near the confluence and one further along to allow golfers to cross. These developments are all in complete contradiction to the General Management Plan.
On the 20th July 2006 at least three beacons marking, apparently, some of the corners of the Legacy site, were erected. A vehicle belonging to Turner Construction, and some workers constructing the foundation stone near Maramba Cultural Village were also seen.
4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
4.1 Wildlife
Elephant frequent the area between Sun Hotels and the Maramba River, their passage hindered by increasing tourist activity and the developments built to support them. The area in question is the last remaining intact area of good vegetation where elephant are free from human pressure. It is crucial that this area remains undeveloped and conserved as a route for animals within the Park and those crossing the river to travel to the gorge and the Mukuni area.
The IUCN management plan states “there should be access to the riverbank and animal crossing points”. The Legacy development ignores this stricture. In the case of Sun Hotels, they failed to solve the baboon and elephant problem and have fenced in order to keep the elephant out. How will Legacy cope with elephant, baboon, hippo if Sun Hotels have failed? ZAWA’s recent directive that all fences in the Park be taken down - including Maramba River Lodge and Sun International, will increase the number of people killed, and that of elephant in retaliation. And an unfenced golf course will place golfers at risk. Should ZAWA relent and allow Legacy to fence the area, it would cut off elephant and other wildlife from the other sections of the Park and the gorges below the Falls. There are already problems of elephant raiding villagers’ crops and destroying life and property due to their normal routes being disturbed.
Tourism is beginning to expand in Livingstone, and apart from the Victoria Falls, one of the main attractions is the wildlife to be found in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park. The present fenced area of the Park is being seriously degraded by elephant which have stripped and ring-barked trees. The area allocated as a golf course is prime elephant feeding and resting ground with thick forest and undergrowth, giving them some respite from the pressure of helicopters and microlights, tourist activities and lodges, hotels, farms and villagers. The area is also a critically important hippo grazing area, and the Maramba River confluence is important for crocodile viewing and for water birds. As an undeveloped area with minimal road access, the area is crucial for breeding and feeding grounds for a number of species.
WECSZ and the Livingstone Museum has, twice a year for the past ten years, conducted a bi-annual water bird count in July and January along this stretch of the Zambezi and the Maramba. The new development will impact on this study as the count includes the area 10km up river of the Victoria Falls. Already river access for this type of study has been cut off by the Sun Hotels, Waterfront, Boat Club and other developments, so that the Legacy development will leave only the fenced area of the Park, a comparatively small part of the river to conduct a census of water birds (49 species of birds were identified on the north bank on a recent survey by WECSZ).
4.2 Vegetation
The IUCN report states that no mature trees or riparian vegetation should be cut down. In a study by the WECSZ, a total of 54 species of woody plants were recorded on the right bank of the river. It was found to be heavily infested in places with exotic Lantana, melia and gums (Eucalyptus); apart from these the indigenous vegetation appears intact, Kigelia Africana, Combretum, Acacia, Diospyrus, Terminalia, Bauhina are just some of the 54 species of trees recorded and are of good size, being undisturbed by human encroachment. Of special interest is tree wistaria, Bolusanthus speciosus, a marginal species for Zambia but an endemic monobasic genus of the Zambezian phytochorological region. This species by itself is enough to recommend the site for preservation, as it is of frequent occurrence here and the trees are of good form and height, thus offering Zambians a unique opportunity to see this beautiful tree within their own country.
4.3 People’s access to the Zambezi and Maramba Rivers
This stretch of river - particularly between the Maramba River and the Falls, has always been a favourite spot for picnics and social outings – though it has reduced recently because of the thugs and bad roads. It is crucial that this area is kept open for Zambians. The Legacy Holdings Development will permanently remove all the river frontage from the general public.
4.4 Golf courses
The Livingstone Golf Course has just opened in town after a 2 million US$ renovation. This is the second oldest golf course in Zambia, and is a historic site. The Elephant Hills golf course is opposite the proposed Legacy site across the river. There is no need for another golf course.
5 CONCLUSION
Livingstone residents are not against development. They need and want development. But one of the main attractions for visitors (and hence the thousands of visitors every year) is the Victoria Falls, the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park and the wildlife in the area. IUCN stresses that one of the principle attractions of the area to visitors is its perceived “wilderness” value and “the juxtaposition of natural wild area with modern visitor amenities. If this wilderness is lost due to over-development, then the visitors will not come and the economy and social structures will suffer.” IUCN Victoria falls – Skeleton Management Plan Part 1. Quite simply, if the Park is destroyed through over-development many of the visitors will stay away.
However, as a World Heritage Site it is incumbent on us to protect it for all mankind by respecting and using the planning and conservation frameworks already available in a long-sighted and conscientious manner that are not driven by short-term commercial motives.
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