Maravi

Villagers bitter with Rupiah over gazetted chief

Villagers bitter with Rupiah over gazetted chief
Written by Christopher Miti in Chipata
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 4:48:28 PM

SOME villagers in Chikuwe area have expressed disappointment with President Rupiah Banda’s move to gazette Shadreck Thengo Tembo as Chief Chikuwe of the Chewa people in Chipata.

Over 110 village headmen and villagers who attended a meeting at Mkaika Chewa headquarters in Katete over the weekend were informed that the government had recognised Tembo as chief Chikuwe.

One of the villagers, Marlon Mbewe, who claimed is the rightful heir to the Chikuwe throne said normal procedures were not followed when gazetting Tembo.

“When chief Chikuwe died in 1993, the family chose me to be his successor, now I don’t know what system was used to pick this man (Tembo) because the normal procedure would have been that Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi was supposed to come to Chikuwe area and showed us the chief before the gazette is produced, but now how come a gazette was produced first and this is the reason why people will not recognise this man (Tembo),” said Mbewe.

According to the government gazette dated February 27, 2009, President Banda recognised Shadreck Thengo Tembo as Chief Chikuwe.

The gazette, bearing President Banda’s name, in part stated that, “Whereas the President is satisfied that the person named in the schedule to this order is entitled to hold the office specified therein as required by subsection (2) of section three of the Chiefs act: Now therefore, in exercise of the powers contained in section three of the Chief Act, the following Order is hereby made: (1). This Order may be cited as the (Chiefs Recognition) (No.2) Title order, 2009. (2). The person named in the schedule to this order is hereby recognised as being within the area in Zambia described in the Chief schedule, the holder of the office specified in the schedule.”

In 2004, former paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi failed to install Chief Chikuwe because of the chieftaincy wrangles that had rocked the chiefdom since 1993.

The chiefdom was divided into two, with one group supporting Shadreck Thengo Tembo while the other had thrown its weight behind Marlon Mbewe.

Labels: CHIEF CHIKUWE, CHIEF SHADRECK THENGO TEMBO, CHIEFS, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:47 PM