Acting Republican President, Edgar Lungu, has asked traditional councils in the country not to involve government in their succession wrangles.
Mr. Lungu said government officials should not be dragged into traditional succession wrangles as the officials were mere subjects who were the number one servants of traditional leaders.
Mr. Lungu said succession wrangles impacted negatively on the development of the country as more time and resources were spent on conflict resolutions rather than developmental issues.
He was speaking during the burial of Senior Chief Luembe of the Nsenga people in Nyimba District on Saturday last week.
Mr. Lungu noted that he was disappointed with what happened during the funeral of Chief Ndake in Nyimba where the traditional council was divided, saying, traditional values of the Nsenga people were not followed.
He urged the Nsenga Traditional Council to take advantage of funerals to restore the integrity of their culture.
Mr. Lungu wondered why Nsenga people failed to come out when discussing issues of succession, adding that, they ran to the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to sort out their problems when the job of the Ministry was to ensure there was development in all chiefdoms in the country and not to choose chiefs for them.
Meanwhile, Acting Republican President, Edgar Lungu, says traditional leaders are a source of wisdom who are also custodians of culture and tradition.
Mr. Lungu said government recognised the important role of traditional leadership in matters of governance and chiefs are considered as co-partners.
He said it was for this reason that government took the death of Senior Chief Luembe as a big loss, not only to the royal family but to the nation as a whole.
Mr. Lungu said President Michael Sata created the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to among other things; facilitate the efficient and effective coordination and implementation of policies, plans, programmes and projects relating to chiefs and traditional affairs.
He said traditional leaders were key stakeholders in uplifting rural livelihoods and through them, certain functions, responsibilities and resources are transferred from central to local authorities.
Mr. Lungu said this was in order to strike a balance between urban and rural development, adding that, traditional leaders played a vital role and link in this process.
He urged mourners and the members of the royal family to mourn the Senior Chief with respect, peace and dignity.
Mr. Lungu called on the mourners, members of the royal family and the royal council to observe the mourning period with utmost respect and patience.
‘’ It is the government’s appeal and prayer that the royal family exercises much wisdom and patience in the selection of the successor to the Luembe throne,’’ Mr. Lungu said.
Senior Chief Luembe died in the University Teaching Hospital on Tuesday last week at the age of 66, after a long battle with prostate cancer.
He ascended to the throne on 27th November, 1991.
ZANIS
President Lungu ! Ha ha ha.I like that.
kano nga ni president HH (HAHA). MOTAIM! what makes a gud president name sound nice. are you just a bitter frustrated family member of the puppy kingdom
@ george bush. What if motaim is MMD or NAREP?
What a waste of government resources to use government plains and security to go mourn a fellow relative….these brood of vipers will do more harm…
planes…sorry abt that
President Lungu is much wiser than Sata. He is a humble man too, he even went to apologize to Fr. Banyandandora in person.
If it was Sata he could have been acting his comedies at that funeral. You see Zambia is better off this week, without Sata. I hope that AU meeting will last a month.
Lol
hahah the problem is he went there dizzy,,,
@Ndobo…kekekeke. Elo namona zoona, last picture I think Ba Presido Lungu was dizzy mwee, that kind of sitting can only come nga naukabamo. He even put one hand pa floor!!? Mosi ilakona.
@ So-called Nostradamus, ndobo, Conclave, Ndobo and Mo taim, do you really use your brain to think..? Or perhaps you use the opening on your backside! Just wondering..!
Why waste resources on a “ceremonial veep” like Guy Scott if he can’t be let him to act as president. Don’t get me wrong I like Guy but he is not fit for purpose hence its a waste on tax payer’s money simple as that. Why not promote Lungu and move Scott to Home Affairs? Why are our leaders very insecure always appointing weak veeps.
Some bloggers always complaining! Nefishilingile kuta dandaula fye!
awe mwandi its true. utubene ndobo,conclave,jayjay etc tufi colour tatwakwata ifyakucita always twist and turns.
The constitution is what doesn’t allow him otherwise he is the best veep so far. If anything what is so exciting about acting as president when yu can’t even excise the powers. As at now Lungu is acting president but Scott has more powers
Now try explaining that to some chappies like ndobo, jay jay, conclaves, etc.
Edgar Edgar Edgar my friend! Regulate your tongue. You say you don’t want Government officials to get involved in traditional wrangles, in the same breath you express disappointment over what happened at the funeral of Chief Ndake of the Nsenga where traditional values were not followed. Very ironical statement. Isn’t that interference already bwana Minister? Besides your boss is deeply involved in the succession wrangles of the Bemba Royal Establishment of one Chief Mwamba (Sosala). So Bwana Acting Head of State your words are null and void as usual.
Chief Mapanza in Choma district died last weekend and I never saw anywhere in the papers they wrote about his death or burial.
Zikomo ngako a Lungu. Mau abwino ngako opasa nzelu mafumu naazinduna wawo. Koma zina ya amfumu ni Lwembe osati Luembe. My dad hails from there. Too bad to hear about chief Mapenzi. All chiefs should be treated equally.
President Edgar Lungu is a brilliant acting head of state.
I also just like like this guy! Look how he conducted himself when officially opening the new Max Prisons!!
I honestly think this guy has the Presidential qualities!! Certainly much better than this DUNDERHEAD in he name of Hakainde Hi-something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yayi, koma wachita bwino m’nekwasu
Another slap on kabimba and gbm
What wisdom has this chakolwa,the person with real power is the proud ,corrupt,young girl chasing Chikwanda not this useful I.diot !
You wll die of Jealousy!!
#13. Watch your words ka, ma president bamamwalira ku AU ka?
That acting president really looks a mess I think he had taken one or two beers look at the picture closely ! Zambia in the sun .
Strong message to Kabimba.
As it is KABIMBA is junior to lungu
Nisaiya chjiuza change chulwala …and now he has gone. My condolences to his wife and children, his family. I liked him, and the trust we started together for the Luembe chiefdom’s development held out such great promise until his need for funds forced him to dally with crooks and opportunists. Blame it on the government who don’t provide the stability and income to ensure good traditional leadership – let alone the empowerment of the chiefdoms. Lungu would have liked Frances – they liked a drink, or two. But Lungu is new to the job of being a ‘Big Man’; he will know little of the Luembe succession wrangles and of the meddling of government in traditional affairs when they are ‘prompted’ by other interests to interfere; such is the political economy of Zambia these days. Francis Kalunga…
Francis Kalunga Njobvu was never the ‘legal’ chief. When the House of Chiefs recommended his removal, old ‘Tyres’ Banda simply re-instated him. I wrote elsewhere of this,
At the end of May 2008, the House of Chiefs conducted a two-day inquiry in Luembe. Six chiefs interviewed Luembe, the community and the other family line headed by Develias Besa Phiri – the legitimate chief. In October of 2008, the House of Chiefs reported as follows:
‘The late Senior Chief Luembe (by name, European Chibuye) – deceased 1990 – had appointed Develias Besa Phiri to take over from him as Senior Chief Luembe upon his death and had requested Phiri, a teacher, to be transferred to a nearby school so that he could groom him for the chieftaincy, the Ministry of Education complying with the request. On his…
On his death, the chieftaincy was passed by Chieftainess Mwape to her son, Francis Kalunga Njobvu, who has been acting chief since 1991, though his appointment having not been recognized by government. In 2005, the House of Chiefs removed Njobvu’s stamp as Senior Chief Luembe. The Nyimba District Council had failed to safeguard important documents in the wrangle, many having gone missing’.
The House then recommended that the original arrangement whereby the lineage of the senior sister succeeded to the Luembe chiefdomship and the junior sisters’ lineage succeeded to the Mwape chieftainship, should be maintained; and that the family of Develias Besa Phiri from the senior sister should select a person to succeed to the Luembe seat; and that Chieftainess Mwape should only play an…
Chieftainess Mwape should only play an advisory role in matters concerning succession to Luembe.
In March of 2009, President Banda took the advice of the House of Chiefs and gave orders for the removal of Francis Kalunga Njobvu as chief, confirmed by a notice in the Government Gazette. The inauguration of Develias Besa Phiri as the new Senior Chief Luembe was expected in July 2009, but political machinations continued to tamper with due traditional processes, the Nyimba District Commissioner being removed after numerous complaints that he was delaying the inauguration, having formed a liaison with Chieftainess Mwape, Luembe’s sister. In November, Banda re-appointed Francis Njobvu as Senior Chief Luembe. Clearly Banda had been ‘persuaded’ to alter his decision.
Politicians should stay…
Politicians should stay out of traditional affairs. They are after all a very recent addition to Zambian life.
Ba Edgar bachabechabe, what he did in chilanga is bad. The population is growing and we only have one secondary school but Edgar allowed the cadres to share the land meant for a secondary school and they even called it Edgar villa.
Iwe caatile stop lying about the acting President Eddie!!!! He is a clean man. Waba icobe.
Naiwe ilyobe! the cadres did it with his blessings.
If some officials from the council and some from the ministry of lands and the area MP can be given some plots, is this not corruption? Iwe ka pertinent tell your acting president to reverse what they did or else ******************************. people in chilanga want a secondary school and not individual plots. MMD were given that land by miller farms for a school and not what Edgar and his PF thugs want to do.