Police investigate Zambia Sugar inferno

Police investigate Zambia Sugar inferno
By Mwala Kalaluka and Glenda Zimba
Sun 20 June 2010, 04:00 CAT

POLICE have launched investigations into the incident where unknown people recently set ablaze three cane fields of Zambia Sugar Plc’s Nakambala Estate in Chula area of Mazabuka.

And chief Mwanachingwala, who had threatened to order his people to torch Zambia Sugar’s cane fields a few weeks ago, yesterday emotively declined to comment on the recent burning of three cane fields at Nakambala Estate.

Meanwhile, the burning of the 31 hectares of Zambia Sugar’s cane fields has taken a twist with more people calling for the immediate arrest of the suspects.

Southern Province Police commanding officer Lemmy Kajoba confirmed in an interview from Livingstone yesterday that Zambia Sugar Plc reported the matter to police three days ago.

“The matter was reported to police two days ago. So police have launched investigations into the matter,” said Kajoba. “Police together with Zambia Sugar Plc security are helping each other to investigate the matter.”

Zambia Sugar Plc corporate affairs manager Lovemore Sievu also confirmed that the company management had left the investigations to its security department.

“We have left that to the security department and they are working with some of their colleagues in police,” said Sievu when asked if the matter had been reported to the law-enforcement agencies. “We will indicate how far they have progressed if there is any progress.”

And when called to comment on the setting ablaze of the Chula sugar cane-fields, which are in the vicinity of his palace, chief Mwanachingwala declined to comment.

“I can’t comment,” said Mwanachingwala before he cut-off the phone line.

Meanwhile, PF leader Michael Sata said it was regrettable that valuable goods worth billions of kwacha were lost in unexplained circumstances.

Sata said the police should find the culprits and have them caged regardless of their status.

Mwanachingwala Royal Establishment spokesperson Mutelo Hamanje also said the police should not take too much time investigating when the prime suspect in the matter was well-known.

Hamanje said the royal family was embarrassed to have a chief who was implicated in the matter as a prime suspect after he threatened to incite his subjects to set ablaze the cane fields if the sugar company did not rescind its decision to do business with the Mazabuka District Business Association.
Hamanje urged police to arrest chief Mwanachingwala immediately.

"In our culture or everywhere else, if you threaten to kill a person and then that person dies, you can’t run away from accusations that you have killed that person. The chief threatened to have the cane fields burnt and the cane fields were burnt, who would not think that it was the chief who sent his people to burn the fields?” asked Hamanje.

Police have also asked Radio Mazabuka to stop playing a recording of chief Mwanachingwala at the time he threatened to direct his subjects to set the cane fields ablaze following the commencement of investigations.

Unknown people in the early hours of Wednesday set on fire three sugar cane fields on a 31 hectare farmland belonging to Zambia sugar at Chula area.

On Tuesday May 25, 2010, The Post ran a story where chief Mwachingwala of the Tonga people in Mazabuka district threatened to burn sugar cane fields belonging to Zambia Sugar Plc if the company did not rescind its decision of dealing with the Mazabuka District Business Association when awarding supply contracts.
And on Thursday, May 27, 2010, Zambia Sugar management officially reported chief Mwanachingwala to Mazabuka police.

But chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha later claimed that chief Mwanachingwala did not issue those threats and was misquoted.

However, The Post reproduced a verbatim of the recording of what chief Mwanachingwala said at a meeting with local businessmen in Mazabuka on Sunday May 23, 2010.

But in an interview, chief government spokesperson Lt Gen Shikapwasha said he did not listen to the verbatim of the meeting but that someone who attended the meeting briefed him on what transpired.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said he could not believe the verbatim of the meeting because it could easily be doctored.

Asked if he had become the spokesperson for chief Mwanachingwala, Lt Gen Shikapwasha responded: “Government speaks for all those in society.”