Mambwe cops arrest chief Nsefu’s retainer for murder
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sun 30 May 2010, 03:30 CAT
POLICE in Mambwe District have arrested senior chief Nsefu’s retainer for hitting his friend to death with a pounding stick.
Eastern Province police commanding officer Mary Chikwanda said chief Nsefu’s retainer John Nkhata had been arrested in connection with the murder of Miliyoti Mwale, popularly known as Saddam.
She said Mwale died on Wednesday last week, two days after he was hit with a pounding stick.
“This man who is from Retainers Compound died on Wednesday around 05:00 hours after being hit twice with a pounding stick on Monday,” she said. “The deceased was hospitalized at Nsefu clinic for two days but later sneaked out of the hospital and died at home.”
She said Mwale’s body had no physical injuries but police suspected internal injuries.
Chikwanda said the retainer was first charged with assault and later slapped with murder.
Nsefu ward councillor Daiman Mphasi said the two were allegedly drinking beer together before they differed.
“I am told these people were drinking Tujilijili and Chibuku ‘scad’ before they differed and hit each other with a pounding stick. I would urge the people here to avoid drinking beer to the extreme,” Mphasi said.
Mphasi said burial had been delayed because there was confusion over the matter.
A source from Mambwe said Mwale died in the early hours of Wednesday but his relatives had refused to bury him because they wanted a proper explanation of what transpired.
“I don’t know what is happening because his Mwale’s relatives have come a day after his death from Mwanya area and they wanted to bury the deceased in Mwanya. So there was like a standoff between his family and the people from here Nsefu area because others are saying the body should be taken to Chipata for postmortem,” the source said.
However, the source said Mwale was buried without carrying out a postmortem.
Labels: CHIEF NSEFU, JOHN NKHATA, MARY CHIKWANDA, MURDER
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ZAWA opposes Nsefu’s allocation of land to investor
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 28 Dec. 2009, 04:00 CAT
THE Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) in Eastern Province has opposed a move by senior chief Nsefu of Mambwe district to give about 14 hectares of land in the South Luangwa National Park to an investor who wants to build a lodge in the Lupande Hunting Block.
According to a letter sent to ZAWA head office in Lusaka by Eastern Province regional manager Mathew Mushimbalume and dated November 13, 2009, the Authority objects on grounds that the area is too big to be given to any investor.
ZAWA Eastern Province contends that if such a huge chunk of land was given to an investor, there would be no room for wildlife in the hunting block.
"I hereby request your good office not to issue a consent letter or date stamp for land title deeds to a company called Rahoo Enterprise based in Mambwe district, which is constructing Zikomo Lodge in Nsefu chiefdom in Upper Lupande Hunting Block. The reason being that the size of the area the director of the company is claiming to have been allocated for the lodge construction by HRH His Royal Highness senior chief Nsefu (14.77 hectares instead of 5 hectares known by stakeholders in Mambwe district) is quite big," the letter stated.
"Moreover, it is located in a prime hunting area. Our concern is that if the company gets land title deeds, it would mean the hunting block being reduced, thus affecting the hunting operations.”
Mushimbalume stated that currently, the river frontage where hunting is conducted is congested with fishing camps and a few tourism facilities.
Labels: CHIEF NSEFU, GAME PARKS, LAND RIGHTS, MAMBWE DISTRICT, NEOLIBERALISM, ZAWA
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Reporters’ presence at meeting unsettles chief Nsefu
Written by Christopher Miti in Chipata
Friday, October 02, 2009 8:25:25 AM
SENIOR Chief Nsefu of the Kunda people in Mambwe district was yesterday unsettled with the presence of reporters from newspapers at the Eastern Province chiefs council meeting aimed at electing representatives to the House of Chiefs.
And Eastern Province deputy permanent secretary Nicholas Banda said the government is concerned about succession wrangles in some chiefdoms in the province.
After the introduction of all the reporters who went to cover the official opening of the meeting, chief Nsefu asked the provincial local government officer Alex Bwalya to chase the reporters from newspapers because it was not their meeting.
As the guest of honour was rising to greet the chiefs, chief Nsefu whose main target was this author asked him to take his seat so that he could raise his point.
“This meeting is for the chiefs and we were not consulted on whether the reporters from newspapers should attend or not. Olo a President emupilikisha ula mzimai ku America so olo seo tubafuna lini aba banthu ama newspaper ayambepo (literally meaning, even the President [Rupiah Banda] chased that woman [Emmah Nakapizye] from America because he did not want her to be there so even here we don’t want them; let them go],” chief Nsefu said while his colleagues who seemingly disagreed with him kept quiet.
But Bwalya said the reporters were there to attend the official opening only and not the deliberations.
“The reporters are here to cover the official opening and after that they will excuse us,” said Bwalya.
Earlier during introductions of chiefs, chief Nsefu wanted Paramount Chief Mpezeni to be introduced before some junior chiefs who were on the other row which was contrary to the protocol procedures.
And Banda said the government was concerned about the succession wrangles that had taken many years because they hampered development.
He commended the outgoing members of the House of Chiefs for their valid and constructive deliberations in the house during their tenure of office.
Banda urged the chiefs to elect representatives who could contribute adequately to the deliberations of the house.
Eastern Province was represented by senior chief Nzamane, chief Jumbe and chief M’bang’ombe at the House of Chiefs.
Labels: CHIEF NSEFU, CHIEFS, JOURNALISM
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Government creating cold war-Chiefs
Posted on July 25th, 2008
Eastern province royal foundation has expressed concern at government’s intention to streamline traditional ceremonies so that it can only participate in one in each of the nine provinces in a year. Chief Mazimawe of the Ngoni people of Chipata district said traditional ceremonies provide government with an opportunity to explain its policies and developmental programs to the people.
Senior chief Nsefu of the kunda of Mambwe district ruled out possibilities of merging the ceremonies saying all traditional ceremonies in the province were an asset of various ethnic groupings.
Chief Nsefu stated that if government was not ready to continue its support to the traditional ceremonies, then it should let the ceremonies continue without its support.
“Traditional ceremonies were initiated by traditional leaders and chiefs used to manage to host the occasion even without support from government. Government only came in to support, so we can continue to host them as it was before without support from government,” he said.
He stressed that no ethnic tribe could be forced to join another because each one of them has different traditional beliefs and practices.
“My fear is that the merging of these ceremonies may lead to a cold war, because it might lead to the loss of traditional and cultural practices which are of great importance to chiefs because they are a pride of a tribe, he added.
The traditional ruler further noted that traditional ceremonies represented unique beliefs which were not similar to all other tribes hence the need not to merge their ceremonies which were based on different cultural beliefs of their traditions.
And chief Mumbi of the Nsenga people of Petauke district said the six ethnic groupings in the province host ceremonies to portray their unique cultural practices therefore, they could not be merged.
“For instance, the Nsenga celebrate their ceremony ‘Tuwimba’ to pray for the rains so that they can produce adequate agricultural produce while the Ngoni celebrate the Nc’wala to thank God for the harvest among others,’ he said.
Chief Mumbi also expressed fear that if some traditional ceremonies were not held, the affected tribes might feel belittled.
Meanwhile, chief Mwangala of the Chewa people in Chadiza district expressed concern that government was the one that initially supported the resuscitation of traditional ceremonies and wondered why it saw it ideal to do away with some now..
Chief Mwangala said traditional ceremonies provide avenues for respect of the various ethnic groupings because they teach their children to appreciate their cultural heritage.
Labels: CHIEF MANGALA, CHIEF MAZIMAWE, CHIEF NSEFU, CHIEFS, EASTERN PROVINCE
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