Chieftainess Nkomeshya sued over land

SENIOR Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II has been dragged to court by over 90 of her subjects for allegedly claiming ownership of their land so that some international investors could build a shopping mall there.

The subjects claim that Chieftainess Nkomeshya, acting through her agents, had continued to harass and intimidate them, including threatening to destroy the crops that they planted in the 2018/2019 farming season.

In a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court Mandalena Mungalaba has sued Chieftainess Nkomeshya (Elizabeth Mulenje) on behalf of 94 others, seeking an order of interim injunction restraining her from interfering with their rights and possession of their respective pieces of land.

They stated that they were subjects of Chieftainess Nkomeshya’s chiefdom in Chongwe.

They claimed that they were legal owners of pieces of land in the chiefdom and had been in possession of the land for periods exceeding 20 years.

“The plaintiffs have collectively used the land for subsistence agricultural activities to sustain their livelihood,” reads the statement of claim.The plaintiffs stated that in or about 2003, government wished to construct a state- of-the-art sports stadium in Chongwe district and their land was identified for that purpose.

They stated that when they objected to the proposal to construct a sports stadium on their farmland which catered for more than 3000 villagers, government rescinded its decision.

“The plaintiffs will avail that as a result of their objection, government rescinded its decision and since then, the plaintiffs have enjoyed quiet possession of their respective parcels of land,” read the statement of claim.

The plaintiffs stated that in 2018, the Chongwe District Council ordered those who were trading along Great East Road next to their respective fields to be removed due to the cholera outbreak. They stated that as the result of their removal, the first plaintiff, Mungalaba, offered part of her field as alternative trading space to those who were displaced.

The plaintiffs claimed that no sooner had the alternative trading space been cleared, than Chieftainess Nkomeshya’s agents or servants, visited them and claimed ownership of the said land, stating that her royal highness intended to bring investors to develop the land.

The plaintiffs lamented that they had suffered embarrassment, mental anguish, distress, torture, inconvenience, loss and damage.