Power tussle halts sub-khuta operations

KATIMA MULILO – Operations at the Sibbinda sub-khuta of the Mafwe Traditional Authority in the Zambezi region remains halted due to a power struggle over who should be the district induna.

The wrangle is between two factions, namely Nanjala-July Mungu and Nezyuba-Ziambo Mwilima, who have been at loggerheads for decades about which family has the right to occupy the position. The current squabble came about after the demise of former Sibbinda induna Maano Mubiana in March last year.

The two factions could not agree to who should occupy the vacant post. After months of squabbles, elections were held in October, where a candidate from the Nanjala-July Mungu became victorious.

The elections were later rubber-stamped by the Chinchimane khuta in December.

However, this did not sit well with the Nezyuba-Ziambo Mwilima faction, who allegedly rejected the results and in turn confiscated the khuta’s date stamp, removed the locks and replaced them with new ones – and brought the operations of the khuta to a standstill.

New Era understands that a police case was opened against the individuals who confiscated the khuta’s date stamp. Academic Makala Lilemba, who hails from Sibbinda, has called on Chinchimane khuta and the Namibian police to work together and resolve the matter amicably.

“The Linyanti khuta and the police should jointly work together to instil some sense of responsibility and order in some members of the NezyubaZiambo Mwilima faction. What is at stake is the future of their children and grandchildren, which they will leave behind with hate implanted into their hearts,” appealed Lilemba.

Contacted for comment, the Ngambela of the Mafwe Traditional Authority Lukopani Maemeko declined to comment.

“We cannot talk about such issues to the media. If you want to know our stand, you should visit the khuta,” said Maemeko.

Deputy Commissioner Evans Simasiku of the Zambezi police confirmed that the matter of the confiscated date stamp was reported to the police and that it is still under investigation.

“We are not going to investigate the issue of who should be the induna; that is for the khuta. We are only going to investigate the issue of the date stamp because we were informed that the other family forcefully took it from the person who was in possession of it. The matter will then be forwarded to the prosecutor general for further advice,” stated Simasiku