Sikoongo succession dispute rages
BEATRICE Kanjebwe and three others have argued in court that she is the rightfully enthroned Chief Sikoongo of the Tonga-speaking people because she is a member of the Sikoongo succession lineage.
The quartet has also rejected Mr Jailos Hamunjo as being among individuals in the lineage of ascending to the Sikoongo throne as he does not appear under the (Mwana) Kalombe lineage of the Sikoongo Family tree.
In this matter, Mr Hamunjo has sued Ms Kanjebwe in the Lusaka High Court seeking an order declaring her selection or installment as Chief Sikoongo in Chirundu null and void.
He wants the court to order that the selection process be re-done and direct Ms Kanjebwe to surrender all the amenities in her possession to the relevant authorities.
Others sued are the Attorney General, Likando Kalaluka, Ken Siayumbu in his capacity as inauguration officer and Shadreck Hamakala , an inauguration officer tasked to swear in a properly elected Chief Sikoongo.
In defence, the quartet stated that Ms Kanjebwe is a member of the (Mwana) Kalombe linage of the Sikoongo family tree, which makes her a member of the Sikoongo succession lineage to which she was rightly enthroned.
This followed the death of the previous chief, Isaac Muzokela, on November 11, last year.
They argued that the current Chief Sikoongo was named as one of the successors in the report: “of the documentation of the
Sikoongo family tree” which was prepared and submitted to the House of Chiefs by the Bana Mainga Tongo Traditional Authority.
Ms Kanjebwe and others claim Mr Siayumbu was removed as an inauguration officer for the Sikoongo chieftaincy in April last year for misconduct and was replaced by Sunford Namayola the same month.
The quartet stated that after the death of the previous chief, the traditional enthroning authority known as the Hakaunga, set a one month mourning period and persons who were eligible to ascend to the throne were invited to approach the Hakaunga and make their intentions known.
They said Mr Hamunjo was not among those that expressed interest to ascend to the throne.
“Five candidates by names of Kingrose Chaumba (male), Masaiti Alfred Muchimba, Given Makumbiro , Alvin Hachingala and Beatrice Kanjebwe approached the enthroning authority the Hakaunga, and expressed their intentions to ascend to the throne vacated by the deceased Isaac Muzokela Chief Sikoongo,” they stated.
And only Ms Kanjebwe and Mr Muchimba qualified to ascend to the throne but the Hakaunga chose the former and presented her name to Siayumbu for further review and subsequent traditional customs, rituals and processes.
The four stated that Ms Kanjebwe was installed to the throne on January 23, this year at a ceremony attended by the Bana Mainga Tonga People Traditional Authority, members of the Sikoongo chiefdom and the public and government representatives.