Zesco defends itself in Chief Tafuna’s eviction lawsuit

POWER utility company, Zesco, has admitted to evicting Senior Chief Tafuna, Raphael Sikazwe, from the house it built as part of Corporate Social Responsibility.

The company in its submitted defence to Court stated that it issued an eviction notice to Mr Sikazwe as he was in occupation of the house without its authority and before the house was handed over to Government.

“That the defendant only evicted Mr Sikazwe and Zambia Police Service proceeded to charge him with offences,” it stated.

This is in a matter the Lungu Royal Establishment has filed a lawsuit in the Lusaka High Court against the power utility company for alleged defamation of their senior Chief Tafuna and are demanding K97 million compensation.

Mr Bozy Simutenda, suing in his capacity as spokesperson of the establishment stated that Zesco had no legal authority to forcibly remove his royal highness from his land and palace located in Isoka in favour of Mathews Kakungu Siame.

Mr Siame is allegedly a person Government mistakenly recognised as senior chief Tafuna and not traditionally installed by the Lungu speaking people.

Mr Simutenda in a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court said that Zesco contracted a company called Astor Investments Limited to build a palace as corporate social responsibility for senior chief Tafuna of the Lungu speaking people of Mpulungu , Mbala and Senga districts in the Northern province of Zambia.

He explained that the palace was handed over to the then caretaker, Chief Cosmas Sikazwe Tafuna, upon completion in 2016.