Daily Nation Newspaper

OPPOSITION AFTER ME - CHITIMUKUL­U ...they want me out

...they want me out

- By CECILIA MUBAMBE and ENOCK KADEMAUNGA

AN OPPOSITION political party intends to overthrow Paramount Chief Chitimukul­u of the Bemba speaking people if it forms government in 2021 because it claims he is not a genuine Bemba. Mr Henry Kanyanta Sosala, the current Chitimukul­u said a named political party was all intent to establish that he was not a genuine member of the Bemba Royal family and should be removed from the throne.

He said sometime last year his close relative in Ndola informed him that a member of an opposition party was planning an inquiry to prove that he was not a genuine member of the Bemba Royal family once it formed government in 2021.

The chief said that the political party intended to base its probe on his great great grandmothe­r (Queen Mother Chimbabant­u) who it claims was not genuine but someone who was brought back after she was kidnapped by Ngonis.

“At that time I did not take it seriously but of late I was informed that more people have joined in and indeed in March an individual from this party travelled to Kasama to meet the most senior among the sons of chiefs whom we regard as the ‘alderman’ of the Bemba Royal Family.

“He is actually our cultural bank because of his wide knowledge of our traditions and norms,” said Chief Chitimukul­u.

The chief further said the alderman was the only living survivor of the previous generation of the Bemba ancestors.

In a statement the chief said his enemies were claiming that his great-great grandmothe­r Chimbabant­u was not the genuine person but was brought back after the Ngoni kidnapped her.

He explained that the Queen Mother Chimbabant­u returned back home in 1890 and it was amazing that in 2018 thus 128 years later, somebody born in the 1960s claimed to know much more.

“W.V. Brelsford in ‘the succession of Bemba chiefs’ wrote: Chimbabant­u had been captured when she was about 14 years of age by the Ngoni during a raid. She was sold by the Ngoni to Fungwe native who married her. When she was discovered where she was they brought her back,” he explained.

Chitimukul­u said the individual travelled to Kasama to meet the alderman of the Bemba royal family not to seek clarificat­ion but to explain what he claimed was the truth.

“In March 2018, the same fellow travelled to Kasama to meet the most senior among the sons of the chiefs whom we regard as the alderman of the Bemba royal family and he is actually our cultural bank because of his knowledge.

“Unfortunat­ely he did not go there to seek clarificat­ion, but he began to argue when the chief tried to explain to him about the whole truth and was co9nsequen­ty dismissed from the palace,” he said.

He said it was political stupidity which had surfaced in the current political arena.

“This foolishnes­s must be distinguis­hed from the mental retardatio­n. And this kind of idiocy had been identified Zith inferiorit­y complex arising mostly from highly questionab­le family background,” he said.

Chitimukul­u said the kind of stupidity came from the supposed access to public media, popularity, success and displaced ambition.

“It is just unbelievab­le how people can hate an individual like me. This actually is political stupidity which has surfaced in the current political arena,” he said.

 ??  ?? Paramount Chief Chitimukul­u
Paramount Chief Chitimukul­u

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