Mwanachingwala chieftaincy succession dispute rages

A MEMBER of a royal family claiming to have been chosen as the next Chief Mwanachingwala has applied to be joined as an interested party to a matter where Mr Jackson Mweene has sued the council of the chiefdom for delaying the installation ceremony.

Mr Richard Chizuma, a resident of Mazabuka, stated that he was chosen by 158 family members to be the next Chief Mwanachingwala and has applied to be joined to the case as an interested party.

In this matter, Mr Mweene, suing as a next heir to the throne, has cited Elina Cheemauna as leader of ba Chindu clan, Joshua Ng’andu as chairperson of the ba Chindu clan council, Field Mumba as chairperson of Mwanachingwa traditional council.

He has also cited Hamanzila Mweemba as secretary of Mwanachingwa traditional council, Banji Malambo as the executor of the will of the estate of the late Charles Malambo, as defendants in the matter.

Mr Mweene wants the Lusaka High Court to direct the defendants to install him as Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka.

He maintained that his claim was in line with the Tonga tradition following his selection as Chief Mwanachingwala by the ba Chindu royal family members as shown in the minutes of August 4, 2020.

But in an affidavit in support of summons for an order to intervene, Mr Chizuma stated that on August 19, this year a meeting was convened and all royal clan members and other interested parties including Mr Mweene and some government officials were invited to attend.

On that same day, Mr Chizuma was chosen by 158 family members to be the next Chief Mwanachingwala.

He stated that following his selection to the throne, a letter was written officially introducing him to the Mazabuka District Commission.

Mr Chizuma contends that the succession from the first Chief Mwanachingwala was initially matrilineal.

Mr Chizuma stated that the current procedure of selecting Chief Mwanachingwala could either be matrilineal or patrilineal and it is the Bachindu royal clan members who select the next heir from among themselves after several traditional and nontraditional considerations.

He contended that Mr Mweene had colluded with his mother and other defendants to use the court to rubber stamp their illegal claims to the Chief Mwanachingwala throne.