Chiefs accuse UPND of fanning tension
By Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Sun 11 Mar. 2012, 11:58 CAT
SOME chiefs in Southern Province have accused the UPND of fanning tension and challenged the provincial royal foundation to clearly tell the nation the donors funding traditional rulers invited to attend a regional stakeholders meeting in Choma tomorrow.
And Chieftainess Mwenda says the UPND is responsible for the current tension between the government and traditional rulers in Southern Province over re-alignment of some districts.
Chiefs Musungwa of Itzehi-tezhi, Mwanachingwala, Mwenda and Hanjalika said chiefs on their own had no capacity to raise funds for such huge meetings that require huge resources.
Chief Musungwa said the pocket agenda being propagated by chiefs Mukuni and Chikanta on behalf of the opposition UPND would soon be exposed and the truth known.
He said it was wrong for the chiefs to hide their true colours using the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi and Chirundu districts to Central and Lusaka provinces respectively.
He said it had become clear that the two leaders were equally bitter with the loss their political party, UPND, suffered during last September's elections.
Chief Musungwa observed that the debate on re-aligning Itezhi-tezhi should be left to the people of Itezhi-tezhi to decide and not a clique of traditional rulers hired to fight the government.
Chief Musungwa charged that there was no way traditional rulers in the province could choose to work hand in hand with the opposition to bring down a legitimate government by frustrating its efforts of decentralising government operations instead of offering solutions to government.
He also wondered who the chiefs were representing on the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi district to Central Province because the local people were happy with government and could not wait for the policy to be implemented.
"Issues of customs and traditional cannot work because people of Central Province are not different from Southern, we are Bantu Botatwe. In fact, Mumbwa district in Central Province was born from Namwala which also gave birth to Itezhi-tezhi, so where is the problem? Let my counterparts stop making unnecessary noise," advised chief Musungwa.
Chief Musungwa further challenged the organisers of the meeting to tell the nation why chiefs in Itezhi-tezhi have not been invited for the meeting despite also being affected by the re-alignment.
"We are smelling a rat here. Common sense demands that a person affected by a policy direction such as the re-alignment of Itezhi-tezhi be allowed to explain whether or not he is happy or unhappy, but unfortunately some chiefs who claim to be champions are speaking and opposing on behalf of people that have been crying for change in the administration of the district. We have been advocating for government to re-align the district in terms of administration because we have continued to suffer due to long distance to Livingstone and because of the floods that every year cut off our district from the rest of Southern Province. Our only nearest administrative province is Central and our people arrested are prosecuted in Mumbwa. So where is the problem of Itezhi-tezhi belonging to Central Province?'' asked chief Musungwa.
Chief Mwanachingwala said calls by chiefs to split the province were unnecessary because government had not included that in its budget.
He said chiefs should not involve politicians as doing so would dilute their case.
Chief Mwanachingwala said splitting a province was an expensive undertaking than re-aligning some districts.
He said chiefs should appoint a committee to express their grievances to government than involving the opposition to resolve the problem.
Chief Hanjalika said he would not attend the Choma meeting because organisers were bent on fighting government instead of allowing dialogue to take its course.
He said he regretted attending the first Choma meeting because the level of debate was politically motivated.
Chieftainess Mwenda said UPND should not hold government at ransom because the opposition party does not own the people of Southern Province.
She said UPND was responsible for the current tension between government and traditional rulers.
Recently, President Michael Sata accused some chiefs in Southern Province of double standards.
He said some chiefs who were against the re-alignment of districts wanted Southern Province to be split.
Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTAINESS MWENDA, SOUTHERN PROVINCE, UPND
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Chieftainess Mwenda detains four suspected cattle rustlers
Monday, August 10, 2009, 10:58
Chieftainess Mwenda of Mazabuka has detained four suspected Cattle rustlers who were transporting 17 herds of cattle using bush paths from Gwembe district without official documents allowing them to do so.
And Chieftainess Mwenda has revealed that she has appointed a retired police officer to handle the investigations and submit a detailed report on where the animals were bought from.
The Chieftainess told ZANIS in Mazabuka yesterday that she strongly suspected the animals, which have been seized and detained at her palace, are stolen because official documents are signed by Police at Turn Pike in Mazabuka and not in Gwembe.
She explained that she decided to appoint an independent former law enforcement officer because Police in Mazabuka were allegedly playing double standards in the fight against cattle rustling.
” I do not trust Police in Mazabuka. This is why I have appointed a neutral person to investigate the matter and ensure the truth is not hidden,” she said.
Chieftainess Mwenda said the retired police officer has since been directed to work hand in hand with Police in Gwembe to establish where the animals were bought.
She complained that the suspects failed to produce documents from the Veterinary department and traditional rulers where the animals could have been bought from.
The traditional ruler has since commended her vigilantes for being alert and helping government in fighting crime.
Efforts by ZANIS to get a comment from Mazabuka District Officer Commanding, Robison Moonga failed as he could not be reached on his mobile phone.
ZANIS
Labels: CATTLE RUSTLING, CHIEFTAINESS MWENDA
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Headmen accuse chieftainess of exploitation
By James Ndhlovu in Mazabuka
Monday August 25, 2008 [04:00]
VILLAGE headmen in Mwanamangala area of chieftainess Mwenda in Mazabuka have accused their traditional ruler of exploiting them through the charge of charcoal levies. The headmen who protested at the forestry department and district commissioner's offices told ZANIS in Mazabuka on Saturday that chieftainess Mwenda had been impounding charcoal and collecting levies from villagers.
The four headmen who identified themselves as Choombe, Kasamba, Hajaalika and Chuuka said their traditional leader was charging the villagers a license fee of K150,000 and those found with charcoal illegally were fined K50,000 and had their charcoal confiscated.
But district forestry officer, Mwenda Singongi told the headmen that the traditional leaders had no mandate to collect levy and issue licenses for charcoal or any other forestry products.
Singongi explained that under the forestry Act, the forestry department was mandated to issue licences and charge levies on forestry products.
Singongi said there was need for villagers to be sensitised on how to deal with issues of levies and licences of forestry products.
Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTAINESS MWENDA, HEADMEN, TAXATION
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Bailiffs burn houses in Mazabuka
By Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Monday June 16, 2008 [04:00]
SEVERAL families in chieftainess Mwenda's area of Mazabuka have been left homeless after their houses were burnt by Court Bailiffs following a High Court order to evict them from a disputed farmland. Household property and foodstuffs were burnt to ashes by the uncompromising bailiffs who were accompanied by armed police officers.
Chieftainess Mwenda, who confirmed the development to ZANIS in Mazabuka yesterday, said a total of 12 families were affected in Upper Kaleya area following an order by the Lusaka High Court to evict the families from the disputed farmland covering 103 hectares.
She said the affected families who had been spending nights in the cold have since been offered temporary accommodation by the local Seventh Day Adventist church.
Chieftainess Mwenda said she was particularly disappointed with the Court Bailiffs and Police for their failure to brief her before executing the order on traditional land.
She said she would repossess the disputed land from the plaintiff who is a Lusaka resident to prove that she was in charge of customary land.
"As far as am concerned, I did not allocate land to the person who took the matter to court and as such I will repossess it and re-allocate it to local people who need land for agriculture purpose," she said.
Chieftainess Mwenda called on the Office of the Vice-President to help the affected families with tents to enable them erect shelters.
However, Mazabuka District commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba said his office would work closely with chieftainess Mwenda in finding alternative land for the affected families to be resettled.
Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTAINESS MWENDA, SQUATTERS
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