Thu, 04 May 2017 12:08:18 +0000
THE shooting to death of senior chief Muchinda Evans Mukosha of the Lala-speaking people of Serenje District in Central Province in the early hours of Tuesday is a sad development which must be condemned in the strongest terms.
This emerging practice of resorting to killing perceived opponents in succession to the throne as a dispute resolution mechanism is not only unZambian but also criminal.
The latest incidents in which the 53-year-old traditional leaders was killed at his residence while his wife Dorothy Mukosha shot in the ribs and now nursing gunshot wounds at Serenje district Hospital sends cold shivers.
What is so disturbing is that the traditional leader was installed to the throne of senior Chief Muchinda barely a year ago after a lengthy legal battle which ensued following the demise of his predecessor Custom Chinamano on 22nd February, 2010.
It goes without saying that for half a decade, the chiefdom was embroiled in succession wrangles over who should have been the rightful heir to the throne until the courts of law endorsed his chieftaincy sometime last year.
We observe with dismay that this is not the first time that life has been lost under similar circumstances. Barely five months ago, a senior Induna Brightone Shandola of Shandola village of Kalale area in Chief Kahare in Nkeyema district in Western Province was killed by unknown people as a result of the succession wrangles that rocked Chief Kahare’s palace.
In this case, a vehicle carrying the eight Indunas to and from Chief Kahare’s palace was attacked by assailants resulting in death and multiple injuries.
In this modern time and age, settling disputes through unorthodox and barbaric means is irrational and procedurally improper. Whenever a dispute arises between parties, the courts of law are the neutral arbiters and are always better positioned to settle differences rather than using physical confrontation.
Our search revealed that the highlighted incidences in which life was lost due to chieftaincy succession rows are merely the tip of the iceberg as there are still a lot of outstanding cases across the country.
Why should members of the royal family engage in leadership row to an extent of killing each other? Are successors to the heir not known beforehand? What has gone wrong with the customary procedures surrounding succession?
Certainly, these heinous acts which are slowly becoming part of dispute resolution mechanisms on chieftaincy wrangles point to a breakdown in our traditional value system.
Since time immemorial, the normal traditional practice has been that an heir to the throne held by the reigning traditional leader is devoid of bickering because the long standing patrilineal and matrilineal hereditary customs clearly stipulate from which lineage the successor would come from.
And owing to adherence to strong traditional values, succession wrangles were unheard of whenever installation of the new traditional leader arrived. The traditional council of elders comprising the Indunas and elders in whom wisdom and knowledge about customary laws is reposed knew what traditional procedures to follow to ensure instruments of power are transferred to the right successor.
It is rather unfortunate that whenever such disputes surface members of the royal family quickly rush to courts of law for guidance and do not follow established traditional channels to resolve the differences. Traditional council of elders ought to religiously follow the applicable hereditary systems as a way to overcome this malaise.
In fact, the high turnover of cases involving chieftaincy succession rows across the country confirms our assertion that something has gone wrong with our traditional value system.
It appears this jostling for traditional leadership is motivated by desire for material wealthy as opposed to service to the subjects.
The politics surrounding succession wrangles among our traditional leaders should be curbed not only for the sake of preserving the sanctity of our traditional customs but also to save life.
In this vein, we call upon the Zambia Police to conduct thorough investigations and bring assailants of the traditional leader to account.
In any case, why has the constitutional office of the House of Chiefs failed to intervene in these succession wrangles?
