Shakumbila apologises
By Lambwe Kachali
Friday June 20, 2008 [04:00]
SENIOR Chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district has apologised to President Levy Mwanawasa and the people of Zambia for using derogatory language against chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II. And the Soli Cultural Association (SOCA) said they would take legal action against chief Shakumbila for insulting chieftainess Nkomeshya.
In a letter dated June 19, 2008 addressed to local government minister Sylvia Masebo and copied to the House of Chiefs chairman, chief Shakumbila regretted using derogatory language against chieftainess Nkomeshya.
"On Wednesday, 18 June, 2008, The Post Newspapers in its lead story entitled 'KK warns against land disputes' reported about the meeting which took place in my chiefdom near Nampundwe. In the story I was quoted as having used some derogatory language against senior chieftainess Nkomeshya of the Soli people over land boundary now going on between us," chief Shakumbila stated. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise with deep regret to His Excellency the President Dr Levy Mwanawasa, the government, senior chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo and the general public for the language attributed to me by The Post Newspapers' article quoted above. It is my sincere hope that my apology will be accepted by all concerned in the spirit of reconciliation with my fellow traditional leaders."
Chief Shakumbila appealed to the government to resolve the problem amicably.
"However, I would like to appeal to the government to take positive steps to intervene in our dispute in order to ensure that the problem is resolved in an amicable manner. I therefore, appeal to all my people to remain calm as we proceed towards an amicable solution of this matter through our government," stated chief Shakumbila.
But SOCA president Charles Mwambi charged that chief Shakumbila had no moral right to insult chieftainess Nkomeshya. In a statement released on Wednesday, Mwambi stated that chief Shakumbila had been on the throne for approximately one month, 16 days and therefore his background could not be compared to chieftainess Nkomeshya.
"We the Soli Cultural Association and the Soli establishment are angered by senior chief Shakumbila's direct attack and insults against senior chief Nkomeshya Mukamambo II.
No matter how serious and deadly the issue at hand is, Shakumbila has only been on the throne for approximately one month, 16 days and his background is unknown as compared to chieftainess' 37 years of being on the throne. We are wondering what battles he is claiming to have fought in less than one month, 16 days of being on the throne, unless he is telling us that he has been in criminal activities before ascending to the throne," Mwambi said.
He said it was an insult for chief Shakumbila to assume that if chieftainess Nkomeshya was looking for marriage, she should go to his chiefdom where men would marry her.
"We consider him as somebody who has not passed through the mill to handle such traditional matters because there have been chiefs before him and there have never been disputes between the two chiefdoms. We find Shakumbila's utterances against senior chieftainess Nkomeshya to be lacking of merit especially that it is coming from a man of his status in the society.
Is he telling us that only married women should rise to positions of influence in Zambia?" Mwambi asked. "It is an insult not only to her Royal Highness but all women in general for Shakumbila to insinuate that it is only women who are married that could rise to positions of influence."
Mwambi also appealed to the government to move in quickly and resolve the issue or else they would sound traditional drums for battle. He said people in chieftainess Nkomeshya's area were ready to face chief Shakumbila head on at Mwembeshi River.
Mwambi further said they would start legal proceedings against chief Shakumbila over his alleged insults.
"We are appealing to the government to move in quickly and resolve this issue or else we will sound a traditional drum and everybody will move to Mwembeshi with heavy artilleries and drive all Salas out of that area. For the insults Shakumbila has leveled against our senior chieftainess, we will start legal proceedings for him to appear in court in person," said Mwambi.
Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) president Micheal Sata yesterday said the boundary between chieftainess Nkomeshya and chief Shakumbila had never bypassed the railway line.
Sata, who spoke as former local government and minister of state for decentralisation, said it was unfortunate that chieftainess Nkomeshya who served in the second Republic as member of the central committee was deliberately trying to cause confusion over the boundary issue.
Sata said it was not the first time chieftainess Nkomeshya was claiming other people's land. He said at one time, chieftainess Nkomeshya claimed to take over land from chieftainess Chiyawa of the Goba people in Kafue district and the land in Mungule chiefdom.
"When she came to me, I told her off. I said, 'Madam sorry; Soli area is concentrated around Chongwe district'.
Why all of the sudden now she is becoming, and grows wings and to say Soli land goes as far as Mwembeshi River? Where was she to claim this land today? That land belongs to chief Shakumbila's chiefdom. Nkomeshya is just a problem. Chieftainess Nkomeshya wants to be president of Lusaka Province because next time she will issue a decree that anybody who doesn't come from Lusaka Province should leave.
As far as I know, being former local government minister, the artificial boundary, which has no consequence for the Soli area is railway line," Sata said.
Sata commended Masebo for warning the two chiefs against threatening peace in the country. He also appealed to Masebo to prevail over the wrangles in order to avoid similar future problems.
However, Sata said there was no article or clause in the Constitution that allowed the government or the President to dissolve any chiefdom.
"According to the existing laws, when the chief of any chiefdom is found wanting, he or she can either be suspended and if the offence is so serious, the President has powers to withdraw the recognition of that chief and ask the elders to recommend another person according to the family tree of that chiefdom.
So, Honourable Masebo should not use threats to resolve these wrangles because there is no law. Honourable Masebo should also prevail on her aunt because it is her aunt chieftainess Nkomeshya who started the trouble. In fact, in this case, chieftainess Nkomeshya should be suspended and investigations should be launched against her until the matter is resolved," said Sata.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA
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Govt warns Nkomeshya, Shakumbila over dispute
By Lambwe Kachali and Agness Changala
Thursday June 19, 2008 [04:00]
LOCAL government minister Sylvia Masebo yesterday said the government will not hesitate to dissolve chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya's chiefdoms if the two continued to issue bloodshed threats. Briefing the press in Lusaka, Masebo said it was embarrassing and unacceptable for the two traditional leaders to be insulting each other over land through the press.
Masebo, who emphasised the need for peace, said the government was silent over the boundary disputes between chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II because they believed that the issue could not be resolved through the press.
She said it had become common among chiefs to quarrel over land boundaries and that the government was aware that the motivating factor behind most disputes was the issue of allocating land to investors.
Masebo advised chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya to stop insulting each other, saying doing so would only worsen the situation. She said according to the Zambian Constitution, the mandate over land was vested in the President.
Masebo said although chiefs had powers over land on behalf of their subjects, they should not take the law into their hands.
"I want also to say that land in Zambia is vested in the President on behalf of the people of Zambia. That is the official law according to the Constitution. With this, government recognises the fact that land at the lower organs is also vested in the chiefs on behalf of their subjects and at the same time under the land Act. We have the ministry and the Commissioner of Lands who act on behalf of the President. And the Commissioner of Lands delegates by appointing local authorities in the country to administer land on behalf of the state," she explained.
Masebo said it was extremely unfortunate that traditional rulers who were custodians of peace were becoming perpetrators of violence.
"I would like to advise chiefs not to issue statements that can generate into a civil war and as ministry responsible, we shall not hesitate to recommend for deregistration of any chiefdom that is going to incite violence in any part of the country," she warned.
Masebo also warned chief Shakumbila against evicting Soli headmen and other subjects from his chiefdom. She urged Zambians to discourage the promotion of tribal divisions, which she said would only take the country backwards.
"I would like to advise senior chief Shakumbila not to come up with threats of violence. I would like also to advise his subjects not be used to engage in any form of violence because once the law visits them, they will have themselves to blame.
The Sala and the Soli are one people. In fact, if you go back to history, you will find that the Salas are part of the Solis and the Solis are part of the Salas. This quarrel, which has come in is unnecessary because Lusaka Province or Central Province has not been there today.
It has been there before we were born, even before the two chiefs took office, these areas were already designated. And we never had these quarrels. So why should we have bloodshed quarrels today?" Masebo asked. "I want to seriously advise both chiefs to promote peace among their people and as government, will not sit back and allow the situation to degenerate into anarchy."
She said the 1958 map, which the country was currently using contained many narration problems.
Masebo said the ministry and the office of the Surveyor General was working on the map to rectify the boundary for the two chiefdoms. She said her ministry would invite the two chiefs so that the issue is resolved amicably.
"Now the boundary between the two chiefdoms will be communicated to the press. The ministry is working with the Surveyor General's office and are looking at the map. I want to state that we have indeed a problem with our map because some of our maps that we have do not have narrations and it will take a bit of time before we can get a narration on the Surveyor General's office.
And once that narration has been brought up from the Surveyor General's office, we shall communicate to the affected people and to the nation. In the meantime, the land in dispute is state land and therefore, there should be no quarrels between the two chiefs until government takes its position on the actual boundary," said Masebo.
And Masebo on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the council's failure to enforce by-laws.
Speaking when she toured Lusaka city, Masebo said the council had failed to provide the kind of leadership that would make Zambians abide by the laws.
"Zambians are not a problem and they are law abiding people and if there's no leadership, people will do what they feel like doing," she said.
Masebo wondered why there was so much anarchy in the city when the council was there.
A check at the industrial area on Mukatasha and Luanshya roads revealed that most people had put up restaurants near the drainages and others were selling food in unhygienic places.
Masebo ordered the council to bring down all illegal structures to return sanity to the city and help with Keep Zambia Clean Campaign standards.
She also said if any of the officers had received money from the people occupying illegal structures, they should give it back.
"If you've gotten money from them, give them back their money," Masebo said.
And to ensure that sanity and order prevailed at the Independence Stadium on the Great North Road in preparation for 2010 All Africa games, Masebo asked all people trading around that area to relocate to the new market and pave way for construction of the independence arc.
She said the place had been secured for a park and that Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) had engaged a contractor to work on the same area to improve the standards.
And Masebo said it was saddening that council officers were creating problems instead of being part of the solutions to the problems the city faced.
She said council officers should not help create more illegalities by legalising illegal structures.
Masebo said this when she visited the market situated behind longacres shopping complex where the council had legalised small structures as a market.
She also ordered the council to dismantle the entrance that Celtel Zambia Limited had created opposite Manda Hill on the Great East Road next to traffic lights.
Masebo said it was not right for Celtel Zambia to create an opening next to the traffic lights because it would cause traffic congestion.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, LAND, SYLVIA MASEBO
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Resolve land wrangles now!
By Editor
Wednesday June 18, 2008 [04:00]
We join Dr Kenneth Kaunda in calling upon the government to quickly find a lasting solution to the current land wrangles almost in every province of the country. These wrangles, small as they may seem, have the potential to explode into life-threatening violence if there is no solution in sight. The land dispute between chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya is the case in point. We do not know the merits or demerits on both sides and, therefore, we cannot state with certainty as to who is wrong. And since it is not possible for both chiefs to be wrong or right at the same time, it goes without saying that one of them is right and the other is wrong.
That is why it is important for the government to quickly intervene and chat the way forward on this matter and others that have been reported in the recent past. There is need for the government to take very decisive steps to bring these land wrangles, together with succession disputes to a close. If left unchecked, these wrangles have the potential to sustain tension among our people, even creating anarchy in the nation.
Zambians have for a long time existed and lived as one, regardless of which part of the country they find themselves in. So, these developments, where chiefs are now expelling from their areas those of the unlike tribe, should be a source of worry. What is happening to our One Zambia, One Nation motto?
We know that Zambians have now discovered how valuable land is. We hear of minerals being discovered in some areas and oil in others. We also hear how foreign investors are ready to part away with so many millions of kwacha to own some huge tracks of land from our traditional rulers. These could be some of the issues inspiring or motivating our chiefs in these wrangles. It cannot be denied that our traditional leaders enjoy some inherent benefits when it comes to such issues.
For example, in the case of chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya, we heard how the former vowed never to release the disputed land because Nampundwe Mine, Trade Kings and Kafue Sugar, among others, allegedly fall within his boundary. He said however chieftainess Nkomeshya fights, she will never get these industries on her side.
Like we said earlier, we do not know who is right or wrong. But the government’s prolonged silence on this matter is not helping. These are issues that seriously breed hatred among our people.
This country is not devoid of history so as to continue guessing who could be right or wrong. We have experts in the government to deal with such matters. So why should these issues be left unresolved for a long time? Does the government want to make a move after lives have been lost, after blood has been shed, as some chiefs are threatening?
We also appeal to our traditional leaders to address and resolve these disputes with the decency and decorum befitting their status. Traditional leaders anywhere are held in very high esteem. But if they lower their esteem, can these traditional leaders expect anyone to raise it for them. Why should anyone bow before a chief who does not respect himself or herself? When traditional leaders start using the kind of language that some of them are using against one another, we wonder if that is what their subjects are expected to emulate from them. We thought that traditional leaders are among the most respectful people in our society.
With what is going on, will our chiefs take offence if their subjects use the same uncouth language against them. And some of the words used by our traditional leaders are very inciting and provocative. Actually, some of these threats or words border on criminality. Do we want to perpetuate tribal conflicts or ‘wars’ as a country?
Zambia has been an oasis of peace from time immemorial. Do we want to lose this peace just for a few pieces of silver expected in form or royalties or something else? We need to learn what happened in other countries where tribal conflicts were allowed to slide into chaos or anarchy. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda is a case in point. We are all familiar with the genesis of that tribal war with all its consequences. And surely, we do not want that to happen to Zambia. Are Solis less human to live in Mumbwa or anywhere else?
Dr Kaunda’s motto of One Zambia, One Nation was meant to inculcate in every citizen of this country the thought that we are all God’s children created in his image and therefore should interact and harmoniously live together as one, regardless of our origins or tribes.
We hope we are not about to lose this oneness and togetherness as a people. If there are problems between Salas and Solis, let these problems be sorted out not on the basis of tribe. If there are problems between Tongas and Lozis, let no tribal tones tack centre stage.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, KENNETH KAUNDA, LAND
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KK warns against land disputes
By Brighton Phiri, Lambwe Kachali and Kelvin Tembo
Wednesday June 18, 2008 [04:00]
DR Kenneth Kaunda yesterday warned that the land dispute between chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya can explode into life-threatening violence if the government delays in resolving it. Commenting on the land dispute between senior chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district and chieftainess Nkomeshya of the Soli people over their boundary, which has resulted into an exchange of threats of violence, Dr Kaunda said the dispute between the two traditional leaders had the potential to explode into a situation where Zambians would abandon their uniting motto of "One Zambia, One Nation".
"I have read what chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya have said. It is an entry into separation between the two ethnic groups that have lived in harmony," Dr Kaunda said. "This is what can bring about an explosive situation that will move us away from our One Zambia, One Nation. We must avoid it."
Dr Kaunda appealed to chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya to avoid issuing threats against each other as their statements had the potential to incite their respective subjects.
"My greatest plea to my chiefs is that they should quickly reach out to the responsible ministers such as the provincial minister and local government minister to address their concerns instead of issuing threats," Dr Kaunda said.
And addressing headmen and subjects on Monday afternoon in Mwembeshi, chief Shakumbila charged that chieftainess Nkomeshya was an idiot who had started a fire that she would never extinguish. Chief Shakumbila urged his people to get ready for war with chieftainess Nkomeshya.
He said he would not accept any nonsense from chieftainess Nkomeshya and her people. Chief Shakumbila said it was unfortunate that chieftainess Nkomeshya had decided to go ahead and claim part of his chiefdom. He said although he was a law abiding traditional leader, he was ready to break the law.
"It is unfortunate for Nkomeshya to continue maintaining her stance. I am reliably informed that today Monday morning; she gave a statement or report that she is ready to fight me. She is ready for bloodshed. Is that good? Is that good? Now my message to her is this; from this time where the sun is, I am more than prepared for her. Any form she wants to meet me, if it means in the air, if it means in water, if it means underground, day or night, I am ready to fight," chief Shakumbila vowed.
He bragged that he had fought many battles and challenges in life and had never lost any. Chief Shakumbila, whose subjects demonstrated how ready they were to go to war by waving their spears in the air, said although he had a lot of respect for chieftainess Nkomeshya, he had now lost it.
He ordered his people to beat up any Soli that would be found causing confusion in his chiefdom.
"Nkomeshya must be told and should know that she is on a journey which she will never complete. I am not a coward. She must go and ask the type of a person she is trying to touch. She is nothing to me. It's water to drink. I am not even worried about her. If there are no men in her chiefdom to marry her, let her come here and we will marry her.
That's been stupid. Huu! Avulamalweza she is cursed. Where are the Salas? There is a saying that when you are stirring the soup of a Sala, don't go in the middle because it will steam on your hands. It is actually powder of the groundnut. I want to ignite the fire. Today, I am leaving the buttons on. Everyone (Soli) you see hovering around here please beat them up. I am very much prepared to face the law. I have been too obedient," he said.
Chief Shakumbila said it was sad that chieftainess Nkomeshya had failed to accept that the boundary was at the railway line.
"People of God please we wanted to die with that good word in our mouths. We didn't want to insult people at public platform like this one. Nkomeshya is like my mother. I should have been calling her mother whenever I meet her. But now, she has started a war that will never end, and that I will never give her any respect again. My warning to her is that she must go and shut up. She is very stupid, she is a devil, an idiot, and she should go to hell. Tell her that I have insulted her. I have prepared my army and my Impis. We shall fight up to the bitter end. I am ready to go to Mukobeko prison," chief Shakumbila said.
He further ordered the eviction of nine headmen and many other subjects believed to be Soli from his chiefdom.
Among those to leave his chiefdom include, headman Sijoobo, Mukuni, Shamakaba, Shachindalo, Mwanjeleka and Shakunkuma.
"All these should leave and go to Nkomeshya's land. But for Solis who are not problematic, we will have no problems with them to stay here. I will even continue to appoint them as headmen," said chief Shakumbila.
But Soli Cultural Association (SOCA) president Charles Mwambi said Solis were ready to fight chief Shakumbila to the bitter end at Mwembeshi River and not at the railway line.
In an interview on Monday in Chongwe, Mwambi said Solis were not claiming land on the western side of the Mwembeshi River but that on the eastern side.
"We are ready to shed blood over that land and Shakumbila has no moral right to prevent me from visiting my subjects in her chiefdom which extends up to Mwembeshi River," Mwambi said.
He said SOCA had advised chieftainess Nkomeshya not to respond any further to Shakumbila's utterances because they were baseless. Mwambi warned that whatever would happen to chieftainess Nkomeshya's life, chief Shakumbila would be held responsible.
Later on Monday, scores of women marched to chieftainess Nkomeshya's palace to show solidarity over her stance on the boundary dispute.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya, when addressing the women, said the Surveyor General Danny Mubanga had no right to address her as "that woman" because she was not his girlfriend.
She said the fight between her and chief Shakumbila had been caused by Mubanga as he had failed to give guidance on the maps.
"How can he say he has had enough of me, am I his girlfriend?" the visibly annoyed chieftainess Nkomeshya questioned.
She maintained that Mubanga was a corrupt man and that she would not change her stance. She said her people had buried their relatives there and they could not be removed now.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya wondered if people would be made to dig up the remains of their relatives and bury them elsewhere.
And Lusaka Province minister Lameck Mangani advised the two chiefs to desist from issuing death threats, saying it was a crime.
Mangani said when the meeting for permanent secretaries for Central and Lusaka provinces was held, the Surveyor General and the two chief ended inconclusively, he was not told that the Surveyor General sat again and resolved the boundary wrangle.
Mangani said there was still a problem with the 1958 map because a lot of features in Lusaka Province had changed.
He warned that the government would not tolerate death threats because they threatened the country's peace and security.
"My appeal to the two chiefs is that the matter will soon be resolved but there should be no chief to evict people from the other tribe. As Zambians, we are one and can stay anywhere we want. And they should also stop insulting each other through the press," he said.
Mangani also directed that no investors should be allowed to prospect for investment in both chief Shakumbila and chieftainess Nkomeshya's areas until the dispute was resolved.
When contacted, home affairs minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha referred all queries to local government minister Sylvia Masebo.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha said Masebo was in charge of all chiefs' affairs including security.
"She is in-charge of chiefs' affairs, she knows how she is going to handle that matter," Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
Lands minister Bradford Machila also declined to comment but said he would resolve the wrangles diplomatically without involving the media.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, KENNETH KAUNDA, LAND
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Chief Shakumbila is a thief, charges Nkomeshya
By Lambwe Kachali and Kelvin Tembo
Tuesday June 17, 2008 [04:00]
SENIOR chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people of Lusaka has charged that chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district is a thief who wants to steal part of her chiefdom. And chieftainess Nkomeshya said she is ready to shed blood over her land.
Reacting to chief Shakumbila who had threatened her of bloodshed if she continued to be stubborn over the boundary dispute in his chiefdom, chieftainess Nkomeshya said she would not be intimidated by what she called empty threats.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya said the railway line had never been the boundary between the two chiefdoms as claimed by chief Shakumbila.
"I have never crossed Mwembeshi myself. It is him chief Shakumbila who is crossing Mwembeshi to come on my side. So he is a thief and there is a district boundary there. You know, we always know that the thieves are always worried and thieves are always violent. So, I don't want to argue so much with someone who is trying to steal from me. I think you wait and see what my people will do. We are going to react properly," chieftainess Nkomeshya threatened.
She said she would not be moved by the threats of bloodshed from chief Shakumbila.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya further maintained that Trade Kings, Namupundwe Mine and Kafue Sugar companies were in her chiefdom.
She said even the time the three companies were buying land, they consulted her and not chief Shakumbila.
"Now who can move me? Who can move me? We all know the fact, even with himself, even when he is issuing those threats, he knows. He is the one who is claiming my land because he wants to steal from me. And he has no hand to those investments, which are there. Even when they Trade Kings, Kafue Sugar and Namupundwe Mine were building, he was not the one who was consulted to release that land. That land belongs to me here. He is the one who is stealing from me," she maintained.
Asked if the wrangle arises from the fact that these companies are expected to pay royalties, chieftainess Nkomeshya declined to comment.
"I have told you that I will react properly because the oil that Namupundwe is extracting to make steel, the steel factory is in Kafue, in my area here. Everything is in my area," chieftainess Nkomeshya said.
Asked further if she had taken time to look at the 1958 map which according to the Surveyor General, places the boundary between the two chiefdoms at the railway line and not Mwembeshi River, chieftainess Nkomeshya said that was not a problem.
She also commended The Post for informing the public about the wrangles that were going on among chiefs over land.
"I am reacting to it, just wait, because my blood is going to be shed. So don't worry, you will get more soon. Am just grateful to you The Post that you have brought this issue out in the way it has come. I am really grateful to you. But Mwembeshi is my boundary and nobody will move me," said chieftainess Nkomeshya.
And some women from chieftainess Nkomeshya's chiefdom yesterday staged a protest at Chongwe Police Station in solidarity with their traditional leader.
The women chanted slogans and sang songs in praise of chieftainess Nkomeshya.
Group representative Astridah Mbulo said chief Shakumbila should not make money out of people's blood.
Mbulo said the women did not want bloodshed but that if that was what chief Shakumbila wanted, they were very ready to go to Mwembeshi with chietainess Nkomeshya.
"We have a natural boundary which is Mwembeshi and Nampundwe is found in Kafue District which is under chieftainess Nkomeshya," said Mbulo.
And Kafue Munga ward councillor Obvious Mwaliteta disclosed that Namupundwe mine was paying K45 million as rates every six months while Kafue Sugar paid K70 million every six months.
"Trade Kings have not started paying anything yet because they haven't started operations. That includes Universal Mining. But the chief gets what the company feels like giving them because it's not on the valuation roll," said Mwaliteta.
When contacted for a comment over the boundary dispute, local government minister Sylvia Masebo said she had not yet seen the map to know where exactly the boundary between the two chiefdoms is.
Masebo said she would issue a statement tomorrow over the matter.
"This is not the only wrangle. There are so many land wrangles by chiefs but in relation to this particular one, I need to look at the boundary map, then I can give details," said Masebo.
On Sunday, chief Shakumbila warned chieftainess Nkomeshya of serious bloodshed and loss of life if she continued to be stubborn over the boundary dispute between the two chiedoms.
Chief Shakumbila's comments follow chieftainess Nkomeshya's who demanded that the Surveyor General Danny Mubanga should resign as he was corrupt and that the boundary between the two chiefdoms was at Mwembeshi River and not the railway line as claimed by chief Shakumbila.
He said the land in question had never been for the Soli people and that cheiftainess Nkomeshya would not have it if she was interested in Kafue Sugar, Nampundwe Mine and Trade Kings companies. Chief Shakumbila also said all Solis should leave his chiefdom.
The country has in recent months been rocked with land wrangles in various parts of the country.
Chiefs Chipepo and Sikoongo of Siavonga have had some wrangles over Lusitu Resettlement Area and they have threatened to take the matter to court.
Chiefs Moomba of the Toka Leya and Inyambo Yeta of the Lozi also have a dispute regarding the boundary between Kazungula and Sesheke respectively.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, LAND
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Shakumbila, Nkomeshya border dispute persists
By Sandra Mulowa in Mumbwa
Tuesday March 18, 2008 [03:00]
THE boundary wrangle between senior chief Shakumbila of Mumbwa district and chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo of Chongwe district has persisted. Chief Shakumbila told health minister Dr Brian Chituwo when he paid a courtesy call on him at his palace that he did not know what chieftainess Nkomeshya wanted from his chiefdom. But chieftainess Nkomeshya said she would talk about the boundary issue at the right time.
“There will be a time, just wait when I am going to react to all he said. I will tell you all,” she said. Chief Shakumbila said he had tried his best to get to the bottom of the matter but was failing to understand what chieftainess Nkomeshya was looking for in his area.
He said chieftainess Nkomeshya had been claiming that a number of projects in his area belonged to her chiefdom.
“Sable is getting confused as an investor,” he said.
Chief Shakumbila said two headmen (Shamakaba and Mukuni) have since been abolished. He explained that Shamakaba was found with two registers; one belonging to Shakumbila and another to Nkomeshya’s chiefdoms.
However, chief Shakumbila said he was expecting some headmen from chieftainess Nkomeshya’s area to visit him on March 28, 2008.
He also said he would write letters to Mumbwa district commissioner, the provincial (Central Province) permanent secretary and Lusaka so that the boundary issues could be resolved.
Meanwhile chief Shakumbila complained Nangoma and Mwembehsi members of parliament, Boyd Hamusonde and Edward Kasoko were not visiting their areas.
He said he was working as a chief and member of parliament because Hamusonde and Kasoko were not visiting.
“I am not trying to criticise or condemn anyone, the two MPs are not helping us. I am not saying this because they belong to opposition,” he said.
“We have no MPs here. For us they do not exist. I have been in office for one and half years and none have come here. We don’t know where to lodge our problems. Now I have become chief and MP at the same time. Even school problems and health issues, people are coming to me.”
Dr Chituwo said boundary issues were best handled by the traditional leaders themselves and hoped that the matter would be resolved amicably because records were there.
Labels: CHIEF SHAKUMBILA, CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA
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