THE SUCCESSION WRANGLES OF SENIOR CHIEF NSOKOLO OF THE MAMBWE PEOPLE
To: All Concerned.
From: Dr. Mbita Chintundya Chitala.
This is a short brief of the succession process of the Senior Chief Nsokolo of the Mambwe people where I have for some years now served as the Musika Mukalamba and Elder.
The Senior Chief Nsokolo succession alternates between the Nsipa and Mwimbe bloodlines as was conclusively stated in the Judgement of Hon. Justice Hamaunda in Cause 2004/HK/408 where Alberto Zombe Nsokolo and five others commenced an action that resulted in the nullification of Christopher Sisibeti Nsokolo as Senior Chief Nsokolo of the Mambwe people.
The first Senior Chief Nsokolo of the Mambwe people who reigned from 1700-1750 was Changala Muluba.
Changala Mu Luba was succeeded by his brother Mutende Ku Wanga. Mutende had no children and when he died, two bloodlines emerged, that is of the two sons of Changala Mu Luba, namely, Mwimbe Kwi Ziya and Nsipa Kwi Pembwe. These became the alternating bloodlines to the Senior Chief Nsokolo Chieftainship.
Mutende was therefore succeeded by Mwimbe Kwi Ziya. After Mwimbe died, he was succeeded by his young brother Nsipa Kwi Pembwe.
Nsipa was succeeded by Nsokolo Wa Cisenga son of Mwimbe. Nsokolo Wa Cisenga was succeeded by Mukumbe Ku Ciya from the Mwimbe bloodline.
Mukumbe was succeeded by Malamba Ku Citundu the son of Mwimbe.
Malamba was succeeded by Mutale Wa Kalembe of the Nsipa bloodline. Mutale was succeeded by Funda Wa Cipoka the son of Mwimbe.
During the inter-tribal wars when the Bemba and Ngoni occupied parts of Mambwe land, there was confusion in the succession. Funda Wa Cipoka of the Mwimbe bloodline was succeeded by Musanya Wa Mikinko the son of Mwimbe. Musanya was succeeded by Wangwe Wa Mwela the son of Musanya also from the Mwimbe bloodline. This was wrong as the rightful successor should have come from the Nsipa bloodline.
After Wangwe died, he was succeeded by Kamyalile Ku Cisenga of the Nsipa bloodline. Kamyalile died in 1898 and was succeeded by Mwezi Mupya Kuli Mwala Pembamoto the son of Malamba of the Mwimbe bloodline.
Pembamoto died in 1932 and was succeeded by Mwene Mambwe Lwanika Ben Mayembe the son of Kamyalile of the Nsipa bloodline.
Confusion emerged when on 4th February, 1953 the District Commissioner first suspended Senior Chief Ben Lwanika Mayembe first by the District Commissioner of Abercon (now Mbala) and later in 1953 suspended and exiled to Chalele area on the Chambezi river accused with the offence of being a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and an enemy of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Mwene Mambwe Lwanika Ben Mayembe however refused to surrender the throes of power and continued to be recognized by the Mambwe people as their Senior Chief Nsokolo.
The British Colonial Administration first appointed Nathan Chela who was the Secretary of the Mambwe Native Authority to as Senior Chief Nsokolo for a few months until later in 1953, Lwanika Ben Mayembe appointed the son of Pembamoto Yolamu Chupa to act as Senior Chief Nsokolo in his absence. Yolamu Chupa of the Mwimbe bloodline acted as Senior Chief Nsokolo until he died in 1970.
In the meantime, Lwanika had returned from exile in 1964 and continued his duties and was called the real Senior Chief Nsokolo with traditional throes while Chupa was considered by the Mambwe people as the Chief of the government. This confusion continued as when Yolamu Chupa died in 1970, he was succeeded as Acting Senior Chief Nsokolo by his brother Fraction Sisibeti also from the Mwimbe bloodline. Sisibeti also died in 2000 without traditional throes which is evidential to the succession of a Mambwe Chief. The government of United National Independence Party (UNIP) however recognized him as Senior Chief Nsokolo and gazetted him as such inspite of the objection of several Mambwe people who commenced several court actions.
Mwene Mambwe Lwanika Ben Mayembe of the Nsipa bloodline died in 1982 still holding on to the throes of Senior Chief Nsokolo and they were kept by his sons John and Tresphor who refused to surrender them to Sisibeti Nsokolo.
Sisibeti died in 2000 and was succeeded by Martin Nsokolo the son of Chupa of the Mwimbe bloodline. Martin died in 2001 and was succeeded by Emmanuel Kanono who acted as Senior Chief Nsokolo from 2001 to 2004 but without traditional throes of power. Emmanuel died in 2004 and was succeeded by Christopher Nsokolo from the Mwimbe bloodline who acted as Senior Chief Nsokolo from 2004 to 2015 but without traditional throes of power. Christopher Nsokolo was finally deposed by a High Court Judgement in 2015 on grounds that he did not qualify to hold the position of Senior Chief Nsokolo of the Mambwe people as the rightful successor should have been a person qualifying according to the customs and traditions of the Mambwe people and should have come from the Nsipa bloodline. In this case, the rightful successor should have been a boy child of Mwene Mambwe Mwanika Ben Mayembe.
Furthermore, the matter in Christopher Sisibeti Nsokolo VS Albert Zombe Nsokolo and five others in Cause SCZ/8/138/2013 failed to file a record of appeal against the Judgement deposing him as Senior Chief Nsokolo in Albert Zombe and five others VS Christopher Nsokolo in Cause 2004/HK/408 and the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for want of prosecution. The matter is therefore res judicata, dead.
Consequently, the Mambwe Chiefs College and members of Royal Family of Senior Chief Nsokolo met on 4th September, 2015 in a meeting chaired by the late Chief Mathias Musonda Mpande and Secretary Charles Mutepuka Simazuwo and selected one Eusto Malamba Nsokolo the son of Lwanika Ben Mayembe of the Nsipa bloodline to be the Senior Chief of the Mambwe people.
However, the formal installation of Eusto Malamba of the Nsipa bloodline has been contested in court by some persons from the Mwimbe bloodline led by the Cornilius- Rita- Zombe group who commenced an action in Alberto Zombe and Five Others VS Mathias Musonda Mpande and Eusto Nsokolo in Cause 2016/HK/54 where Alberto Zombe and five others from the Mwimbe bloodline have challenged appointment of Eusto Nsokolo as the Senior Chief of the Mambwe people. This matter has been in court of the Hon. Justice Katanekwa who has neglected to deliver the ruling on the injunction and also failed to commence trial in the matter for almost six years.
In trying to compel the court to adjudicate the matter, all relevant organs of government such as the ChiefJustice, the Judicial Complaints Commission, the Attorney General and the House of Chiefs are aware of this unnecessary injustice to the Mambwe people.
On the part of government, the Permanent Secretary of Northern Province in his letter dated 27th February, 2017 declined to intervene arguing that the matter was sub judice as it was in court in Cause 2016/HK/54 and that any government intervention may be construed as Contempt of Court.
Dr. Caleb Fundanga with Dr. Mbita Chitundya Chitala
