5 headmen sue Chief Bunda-Bunda

FIVE headmen have sued Chief Bunda-Bunda in the Lusaka High Court seeking an order for the abolishment of survey fees imposed on the villagers by the traditional leader.

The five claim that the survey fees imposed on the villagers by the chief through private surveyors are illegal and against the Bunda-Bunda traditions and customs.

They seek an order declaring that the decision by the defendant to remove them from their positions as headmen was illegal.

They want the court to order the defendant from dethroning, intimidating and interfering with their authority as headmen of the Bunda-Bunda chiefdom.

Mr Goodfellow Mawili Chokoleka (Headman Chikwangala), Mr Godwin Kabichi (Headman Mapulanga), Christopher Zulu (Headman Nyambi), Mr Nathan Chewe (Headman Maneya) and Christopher Ngulube (Headman Nyamakando) sued Mr Chaisa Mwanchindalo in his capacity as Chief Bunda-Bunda of the Soli people in Rufunsa.

In their claim, the five stated that Chief Bunda- Bunda breached the Bunda-Bunda traditions and customs by dethroning Chikwangala, Mapulanga and Nyambi as headmen without following procedure as per the customary rules and procedures.

They stated that their leader has taken away or threatened to collect the village registers from them without consulting the clan/families from whom they were elected.

“The defendant has been threatening, intimidating and harassing headmen Maneya and Nyamakando with dethronement. The defendant has threatened to take the village registers from them against their will and without following customary rules and procedure,” they stated.

Headman Chinkwangala and others stated that his dethronement and that of Mapulunga and Nyambi was done on personal grounds and not on grounds authorised by the customary rules and procedures in the Bunda – Bunda chiefdom.