Gov’t workers subdivide graveyard into plots

By GRACE CHAILE

Three government workers have been sued by Chief Mwenge Mando for allegedly trespassing on his lands and subdividing a graveyard into plots.

The trio, Joshua Banda, an employee of the office of the Vice-President in Chinsali, Nelson Phiri and Chola Matamba, both employees of the provincial Agriculture office, Chinsali,  allegedly trespassed on the Mwenge Mando chiefdom lands without the blessings of the traditional leadership.  

Mr Jonas Kangwa Chanda suing in his capacity as Chief Mwenge Mando of the Bisa people in Muchinga stated in a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, that the defendants’ trespass on the lands had been a nuisance to him and his subjects.

“Entering upon graveyards and traditional protected areas and dealing with the land not authorized, that is dividing, subdividing, allocating and selling the said land,” Chief Mwenge Mando said.

He said his subjects had have suffered trauma, inconvenience and damage because of the behaviour of the three.

The traditional leader wants permanent injunction against the defendants’, their servants, agents or whomsoever from encroaching, selling, demarcating or otherwise dealing with the land of the chiefdom in whatsoever manner without his permission and that of his leadership.

He also wants an order for cancellation of any transactions that the defendants’ may have entered into involving the chiefdom land.

Chief Mwenge Mando wants Banda, Phiri and Matamba to pay damages for trespass to land and for nuisance.