Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba says government is preparing a new law which will bar citizens from dragging traditional leaders to court.
Mr. Kabimba says government is ashamed at the increasing cases of chiefs being lined-up in courts of law by their own subjects.
He adds that the new law will ensure that traditional leaders are accorded the respect and dignity they deserve as contained in the Zambian culture.
Paul Shalala reports from Mumbwa District that Mr. Kabimba says this when he addressed people at the Ikubin Lya Loongo traditional ceremony.
Mr. Kabimba, who hails from Shibuyunji District which is part of the Shakumbila chiefdom, attended the ceremony in his capacity as a subject.
And Senior Chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Central Province says his area has seen massive development in the past two years.
The traditional leader cited the on-going works on the Kasalu-Keezwa road and the establishment of Shibuyunji district as some of the developments that have been appreciated by his subjects.
Senior Chief Shakumbila said this in a speech read for him by his advisor Noel Sichoonda at the Ikubi Lya Loongo traditional ceremony which was held in Shakumbila village on Saturday.
This year’s ceremony was officiated by Central Province Minister Phillip Kosamu who assured the people in Mumbwa that government is committed to developing all parts of the country.
Among the notable people who attended the ceremony were Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister, Taundi Chiseke, Mwembeshi member of parliament, Austin Milambo says and Patriotic Front Lusaka District Chairman, Goodson Banda.
Others were Central Province Permanent Secretary, Edwidge Mutale, 12 traditional leaders from across the country, former Zambian Ambassador to Japan Kennedy Shepande and District Commissioners from Mumbwa, Shibuyunji and Itezhi-Tezhi.
Not so fast, Minister. Nobody should be above the law, least of all, traditional leaders, most of whom are of peasant stock and are, by and large, primitive. There would be rampant abuse of such a legal provision by those people.
In a Democracy NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW….In a Democracy there must be no subjects full stop. In fact this institution of chiefs should be scrapped ,abolished and replaced with COUNCIL OF SENIOR CITIZENS to give counsel to their local councils ( good idea for governance integration). This institution was established by colonialists for divide and rule, not in this time and age…..
FREEDOMS,LIBERTIES,and SELF ACTUALIZATION entails all citizens are equal before the law. So Winter ,that proposal is misguided! Even the C/wealth is now fed up of the Queen/King hypocrisy in a Democracy
I agree with Yami. The Chiefancy issue sucks.
I am unaware of the “rampant” growth of traditional leaders being dragged to court by their subjects. And if this is the case, the question is why are they being dragged to court? If they are doing wrong then it is the subjects that need protecting and not the chiefs. I just think this Govt has such misplaced priorities and instead of reforming the Public Order Act, they are thinking of creating more Laws that will create more injustices.
sport on man, maybe we need to reform our education system coz its no right to have all politician thinking the same , defections and illogical thinking for Christ’s sake they r leading a nation.
According to the constitution no one is above the law.Some traditional leaders don’t respect their subjects whom they govern.
In other words you are trying to confer LIFELONG immunity to chiefs,,,, gosh, that makes them more powerful than even the president who at least can have his immunity lifted once out of office. I do know what logic or what kind of stuff these pf goons are smoking but the sooner they quit the better for them and the country too
Chief Shakumbila is a scandalous chief who has sold most of the land which belong to the people in his own interest…………unless Kabimba got a nichekeleko from Shakumbila otherwise Shakumbila should be facing the court for grabbing land from his subjects but if this law will be implemented then shakumbila wont be prosecuted and he will continue to grab land from his people…………….this is sad!!
That is unacceptable.No one should be above the law bwana. Even the reasons are not convincing bwana. Chiefs are not infallible. Just wat do u want to create mwebantu?Doing so will hit u on yo faces 1 day. Think twice. We can’t go back 2 acient days.
Where ever did we get these people. There is no one above the law in any country any where. Communist countries also had laws that were above all people. Only reason they were not followed is because rulers are and were evil. This is the dumbest thing ever, not even mmd had anything this ubsurd.
Now I agree Kabimba is a sick man. His HIV count has gone above the ceiling level. Were are such misplaced ideas emerging from? He is worse than Tetamashimba, what a justice minister. Surely his role is to ensure fair justice to the whole people of the land and as a lawyer he should be one to understand the fact that no one is above the law. He is for sure a very incompetent lawyer Zambia has ever had. He is a foolish man who thinks his ideas are above that of every Zambian. Seriously the baboons should be kicked out of their place.
Zambia is now modern and a democratic place, why should we entertain the dictatorship of chiefs to levels about law? This is a very shameful law in Southern Africa. I wait to see this law. indeed its shameful.
Some animals are more equal than others in this animal farm called Zambia these days and the justice minister is the lead orchestrator.
Even with the current scenario, there was a chief in one district , in Northern Province, who gave himself powers and sold all manner of land, including, but not restricted to, land on which stand government infrastructure, such as government schools, railway line, council land etc. The result is there is now, for instance , no space for the construction of school sports fields, teachers housing, or the expansion or upgrading of the schools, and the like. Provided with the proposed carte-blanche, from Minister Kabimba, all hell would break loose and there is no telling the extent of the mayhem that would ensure. Therefore, no effort must be expended by PF or any other government, for that matter, now, or, in the future, in regularizing the current illegal practices.
WAIT A MINUTE BWANA MINISTER…I THINK THE NEW LAW SHOULD BE ABOUT PROTECTING TRADITIONAL LEADERS’ POSITIONS FROM BEING REVOKED BY A PRESIDENT…NOT IFYO MULESABAILA…
Thank God Hon. Kabimba is neither chief nor president. Idi Amin’s rule would have been like a Sunday school picnic in comparison. Just imagine what would happen. Thank you Jesus that HE Sata did not make Mr Kabimba a Vice-President. Well, I am sure the Minister was misquoted or quoted out of context. Why would he de-campaign himself and PF like that.
Not a single living person can be sinless and therefore, be above the law. Only one such ever existed and we call him Jesus.
You made me laugh with “Sunday school picnic”
This chap winter has stopped think. So if your chief takes your wife or cattle you should just sit and watch. *****ic thinking. If he thinks chiefs will keep PF in power he will get a rude shock of his life.
I plead with the PF to stop this please. These chief abuse their powers and the only way to protect the subjects is to allow the status quo to continue.
Uwe Kabimba ulabwata! Saa walyanshi? How can you even begin to think like that? If Gabon was a disaster of worldwide proportion, this is worse!
I hear Kabimba is a Lawyer.
.. by proffessional.. But a criminal in mind.
Allegedly…..
The law to protect the wrong doerers… Where is Zambia heading?
Winter & PF Again?? Wonder what kind of a lawyer he is. NOOO we know why, because PF wants to win favors from Chiefs to campaign for them. Its rubbish like what they did in Chipata?? Bringing Nkosi Mpezeni to PF rally?? Angoni should question the Chief because as a traditional Leader, he should not side with anyone. He is a King or chief of all people. CHIEFS IN ZAMBIA SHOULD WATCH OUT OF PF’s gimmicks.
Our justice minister is such a joke…where did he learn his law! Applying the law selectively is in itself injustice…oh, I forgot, he is the ‘Administer of Injustice’!
I have been against chiefdoms. To me they are irrelavant but the minister is adding salt 2 the injury. Mr kabimba with due respect i can tell that u are working against yo govt and party. Mr Sata be weary of pipo like this man. He does not mean wel
Pf be real men and women .We never voted 4 u for less than what mmd did.Can u go back to the drawing board.Go back 2 the acheive and look at wat made us vote out both unip and mmd . lf not u’l end up being the worst fools in our political history.
Sata OUT!
NEEEEXT in 2016! HH for Presido!
Eastern for HH!
Northern for HH!
Copperbelt for HH!
Lusaka for HH!
Southern for HH!
Western for HH!
Central for HH!
North-Western for HH!
Luapula for HH!
Everywhere it’s HH!
The WIND is blowing!!!
True Change is on the Way! come 2016 come!
Lock up your daughters in Chipata!
BaTonga babola!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with Mwale joining the up and down party. Wamya muzi.
I HAVE BEEN ON THE SIDE OF PF 0 ALONG BUT DESE BLUNDERS DEY ARE MAKING DEMAND DAT I DINK TWICE. I CAN’T IMAGINE WAT’LL BCOME OF SUBJECTS UNDER VARIOUS CHIEFS. THEY’LL B UNTOUCHEBLE ONLY FEARING A PRESIDO WHO’LL B DE ONLY 1 ABOVE DEM.NDETUTUMA. SAD!
That would be the daftest law that ever got enacted! I hope the Justice Minister has been misquoted.
What we really do need is to scrap the institution of ‘Chief’. Why do we have to maintain a multiplicity of loyalties in a country that is a Republic? Chiefs really serve no useful purpose in the current dispensation except, perhaps for misguided politicians. Chiefs are a waste of time and other resources. It is high time we started on the bold road to abolish them ALL!
So even when a chief kills people he/she is not answerable to anyone.Ha ha these are same pronouncements which are making PF unpopular.Is Winter Kabimba really a lawyer who can present helpless people.It seems PF was mean’t to rule for 5 years because any normal person can’t make such a law of supporting ruthless chiefs who beat innocent people. Iwe ubu bupuba ba Winter.I’m a PF member but u’re making our party losing popularity very fast.If Ba Sata can trust such a minister then we are in trouble as a party.Chiefs won’t make PF popular.The only solution is to allow people express themselves freely and develop.If we make tared roads in compounds especially in Lusaka then PF will be there for a decade.Lusaka people can campaign on behalf of the party.But stop these PF thugs.
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!!! Why are the chiefs being dragged to court. There are no SUBJECTS in a democracy!!! What if a chief commits murder?
If this was people driven, it would have been in our new draft constitution. So who is really driving this and for what end?
Number 21 you are dreaming just because kafulafuta voted for upnd then you think CB is for hh just wait for 2016 it will be pabwatoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.Tuma vote twamumushi.
Aya matenda nioipa. A chita affect brain bati?? interpreted as ‘this disease is BAD. It affects the brain?
Hon. Kabimba, are you telling me that even when a chief sells my land illegally, I should just fold my hands and shut my mouth because the chief has immunity? What about a chief who defiles an under age girl? Should he be left scot-free? That will be a strange piece of legislation.
imwe, lets fight for the abolition of Chiefdomship. it does not only suck. its irrelevant in this day and era. its avenue of divide and rule. an upfront to citizenry unit. the delay development unesessary in the name of getting consent from Chiefs. I hate those guys and girls in that cloak. there thinking is always shallow, myopic and good for nothing beings. they always want to leap where they did soar. they disgust me.
I am really disappointed that learned people can thing so low and think that our traditional leaders can’t be dragged to court. There is no one who is above the law whether rich or poor. We are all equal in God’s eyes and I really don’t know what makes people change when they become leaders, hence its not the Wynther Kabimba I personally knew two years ago.
So state counsel winter kambimba is suggesting that sick chiefs like mpezeni who defile and give hiv to children should be left scoot free
Why do you think he has never won a case in court?
Because his logic is on these same lines!!