Nkoyas warn of bloodshed

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 10:56:07 +0000

BY BENNIE MANDANDO

GOVERNMENT must investigate reports that the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) is conniving with a named Government official to float another individual as chief Kahare other than the two who are in court over a succession dispute because there will be war, the Nkoya Royal Establishment (NRE) has warned.

NRE spokesperson David Tamboka told the Daily Nation yesterday that a named Government official, working with the BRE, was scheming to float another candidate as the supposed heir to the Kahare throne regardless of the outcome of the court case on June 12, 2017.

Mr. Tamboka said while the succession impasse in the chiefdom was almost coming to an end as the two factions have been having talking about a ceasefire by supporting whichever candidate the court would deem fit, there were disgruntled minds agitating for chaos.

He warned the BRE to stay away from the affairs of Nkeyema district because it had no jurisdiction over what was happening in other chiefdoms adding that there was no single paramount chief in Western Province to override other chiefs.

He warned of bloodshed should another sprinter group arise to claim the Kahare chieftaincy after the matter in court would have been disposed off as Nkoyas had nothing to do with the BRE because their chiefs were capable of presiding over their own affairs.

“We know that there is a Government official which the BRE is using to bring confusion by floating another candidate other than the two who are in court. As NRE, we are confident that the succession wrangle is almost over. What we are waiting for is just for the case to be closed because the two factions have agreed to support whoever will win.

“However, we will not sit idle and watch the BRE poke its nose into our affairs by using compromised Government officials to impose another candidate. We are coming from this dispute and we don’t want another war but if the BRE wants to dare us, we will react and there will be bloodshed in this district,” Mr. Tamboka warned.