MMD's Machai beats Chambishi PF councilor

MMD's Machai beats Chambishi PF councilor
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Sat 17 Mar. 2012, 11:58 CAT

A female PF councillor in Chambishi has allegedly been assaulted by former MMD deputy mayor for Kalulushi Robbie Machai over a land dispute. Councillor Febby Mulenga of Lulamba ward in Chambishi was hospitalised for two days at Sinozam Friendship Hospital in Kitwe and treated for chest pains after she was allegedly beaten up by Machai over a piece of land at Kamalata Trading area.

Traders at the market who witnessed the incident said Mulenga had been protecting the trading area and the bus station from being grabbed by Machai, who claims that the land belongs to him.

But Mulenga had been contesting that the land in question had not been given away for residential and commercial plots by the council and that Machai's claims that the land belonged to him were false and illegal.

"Machai came with a private land surveyor and started putting up beacons and when councillor Mulenga heard, she came and tried to stop him from putting up beacons because this land belongs to the council and people who trade here are free to do so. They exchanged words, tempers flared because Machai was with some people and in the middle of the confusion he punched her and grabbed her by the chest and that's how people separated the two. We saw that she was in pain after that incident," an eyewitness Catherine Mweshi said.

And Mulenga said a docket at Chambishi police station had been opened against Machai for assault.

Mulenga said she would continue protecting the land for poor marketeers at Kamalata market which some unscrupulous businessmen wanted to acquire dubiously.

"I have been threatened many times but I will not give up and I know some people wanted me to withdraw the case but I will not do so. The due process of the law must take place because Machai's conduct was unacceptable," Mulenga said.

And PF Copperbelt provincial chairman Rebby Chanda said the party would support and protect Mulenga over the stance she had taken on illegal land allocation.

"Why did he become violent against a defenceless poor woman who was elected by the people to protect their interests? This behaviour is unacceptable and the law must take its course," Chanda said.

Efforts to get a comment from Machai proved futile as his phone was off.