Chieftainess Chiawa in coup threat

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Chieftainess of Chiawa
A SCAM in which a named individual is funding a group of people to discredit Chieftainess Chiawa in a bid to dethrone her so that he takes over power has been unearthed.

The revelation follows accusations by some subjects, led by six headmen that the traditional ruler was selling huge chunks of land to local and foreign investors, a situation they fear would displace many villagers.

Chieftainess Chiawa and her representative Ernest Sikalomo confirmed in separate interviews that there was someone who was funding a group of people to push for her removal from the throne.

Chieftainess Chiawa said the named man had organised a clique of people to talk ill of her so that he could take over from her when she had been on the throne for the past 24 years.

“It’s because I am so liberal, very democratic. I allow people to talk, that’s why these days I am receiving insults from these people,” she said.

Chieftainess Chiawa vowed not to succumb to pressure, saying she could only step down if she died, became insane or committed a criminal offence and warned the headmen to show restraint because they were under her.

“They cannot remove me. I have not done anything wrong unless they are trying to kill me. I haven’t done any criminal act which can make me step down, I haven’t killed anybody, I haven’t done anything, I am not insane so why should they take me out?” she asked.

On the sale of land, Chieftainess Chiawa said the law gave her authority to give consent to potential investors to use the land and thus it was through her consent that Chiawa was seeing development.

Chieftainess Chiawa, however, said when she, like any other traditional ruler gave consent that did not mean that she had sold land.

She also dispelled displacement assertions, saying none of her subjects was displaced as she could not allow that to happen, adding that the ongoing development projects in her chiefdom were being undertaken in areas that were far from the people.

The chieftainess said contrary to accusations by her critics, she held quarterly meetings with headmen whom she allowed to freely talk but those who hated her for unknown reasons shunned the meetings.

Headwoman Kambanje is one of those who allegedly hated her for unknown reasons and shunned her quarterly meetings and that a man who used to be Headman Kanyangala but had been stripped off his position was still masquerading as a headman.

After the interview with the traditional ruler, Mr Sikalomo, who was raging with anger phoned the Sunday Times threatening this reporter that he would be in trouble if he wrote the story about people accusing the chief of selling land.

Mr Sikalomo charged that some of the people complaining were masquerading as headmen, adding that they were a group of jealous, ignorant and illiterate people who needed to be educated on land
matters.

He also said the role of traditional leaders was to give consent on the use of land, while the Ministry of Lands granted title deeds when the Government wooed investors to invest in certain areas.

Mr Sikalomo also accused journalists of trying to incite people of Chiawa to rise against their ruler and warned this reporter that he risked being summoned to the Chief’s Council or face legal action.

He said he expected journalists who visited Chiawa on October 8, 2013 to have gone through the royal establishment before going ahead with their work.

The six headmen who have risen against Chieftainess Chiawa are Mushonganende (senior headman), Kambanje (headwoman), Kanyenze, Mufurutsa, Kadoko and Kanyangala.

Among the issues under contention are the 15,160 hectares of land which they have accused Chieftainess Chiawa of selling to four named Zambian investors.

They asked for the Government’s intervention in the matter, saying they voted for the Patriotic Front in the 2011 elections hoping that the new leaders would attend to their plight.

Headwoman Kambanje advised chieftainess Chiawa to step down.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Government should send the editors to asses why insulting people who are saying the truth, that is how these people are pliz come and asses and pass by her palace you will agree with the people's complaint. Ernest Shikalomo he is talking no-sense is the one at the moment who wants to get the people's fields and sell be this headman Kambanje is their area so that is why he is mentioning him too much, and the rest of the headman who was mentioned to be removed from the position is because they are against her plan of selling land and she doesn't want people who are clever then she is against. For sure people are suffering and they are called dogs and she doesn't care of anyone and she even say to her people what can you tell me you are dogs and you are not educated I do what I want this is my area, look after the people of chiawa for sure they don't have the reader there that is why you hear them crying to Government to help them some of them they don't have place to stay all their place has sold to the investors and if you want to witness just after crossing the pontoon go to the following villages Kanyenze, Mafungautsi, Makanya and Kanyangala you will agree with me people are really suffering help them. I have a lot to mention but I can not finish them in writing just arrange and come to this area you will witness.

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