By MUKWIMA CHILALA
ABOUT 11 headmen from Ngabo Ward in Namwala have appealed to the government to help them get their land which was allegedly grabbed by UPND president Hakainde Hichilema in which over 500 villages are affected.
The headmen made the appeal through a petition to Patriotic Front (PF) vice chairperson for mobilisation Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba.
Senior Headman Shimafumba, Headmen, Lukosha, Sinchelwe, Lukosha, Chipembere and Mulangu presented the petition on behalf of other traditional leaders.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Senior Headman Shimafumba alleged the UPND leader grabbed the land from the locals and fenced it, thereby disadvantaging over 500 villagers.
Senior Headman Shimafumba said that the fencing of the land has affected their cattle and hence the need for the government to come to their aid.
And Headman Chipembere appealed to Government to offer the headmen security for fear of being attacked after speaking out on the matter.
“We are here so that the Zambian people and the government can listen to our plight because we have really suffered at the hands of Mr Hichilema who has grabbed our land for cattle grazing and fenced it with a wire thereby displacing about 500 villagers.
“At least he should have come to us to consult on how best we would feed our animals than displacing us like that,’’ Senior Headman Shimafumba said.
He appealed to Government to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves.
“We are now also appealing to the government to offer us protection because we are scared for our lives that we can be attacked or something bad can happen to us when we go back simply because we have spoken up to you people,” he added.
In response, Mr Mwamba assured the villagers that he would pass on the information to Government so that the villagers could be given security.
Mr Mwamba implored people from Southern Province to give the PF maximum votes and produce MPs so that they could also have many people appointed cabinet ministers
Efforts to get a comment from Mr. Hichilema proved futile by press time.
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