POLICE in Solwezi have recovered 584 green National registration cards (NRCs) from Senior Chief Musele, who has been keeping them for his subjects since 2008.
North-Western Province Police Commissioner Eugene Sibote said in an interview yesterday that the traditional leader has allegedly been asking his subjects to pay K50 or give him a chicken for them to get back their respective NRCs.
Mr Sibote said the chief has not been arrested but he surrendered the cards after being warned.
He said some concerned members of the public reported the matter to the police leading to the recovery of the NRCs.
“What we have here are 584 green national registration cards belonging to some people in Musele chiefdom which the chief has been keeping since 2008 and asking the owners to pay K50 or bring a chicken to have their identities back,” Mr Sibote said.
He said the cards came into the chief’s possession after the courts disposed of a case in which a local headman was challenging Senior Chief Musele. The headman had collected the NRCs to facilitate the removal of his chiefdom’s names from the cards.
“The background of this is that there is a headman called Lubango who collected the NRCs from the people so that he could remove Senior Chief Musele’s name because he was claiming that he was not the rightful chief as he is Lunda and cannot be a chief in a Kaonde area,” Mr Sibote said.
He said the cards will be given to the rightful owners next week so that they can participate in the January 20 presidential election.
Mr Sibote urged chiefs to obey the law, adding that it is a serious offence for any person to be found with more than one NRC.
Please ,police, clamp down on voter card buying by the PF also. Other wise UPND will step in to correct the scourge.
He is not a Chief, he is a Thief!
If they were collected in 2008, how will their being handed back facilitate voting in this election which is based on the 2011 roll? Please use a bit of brains before posting stories and LT check stories for simple logic before running them.
I got my voter’s card in 2005 and it is the one have used ever since…so if they registered in 2005, they can still vote on 2015
So in short these people have not participated in voting since 2008. Very unfair indeed.
No sacred cow please! Arrest that chief, why keep other peoples’ NRCs, what for? That is criminal. Let the law not be selective or else that will be a reference point to whoever would be offender with similar case.
True! no 1 is above the LaW.!!!!!
ba Kaonde kipale kyabo kibawamina…kubelekela muzungu wabula kajo! useless chief arrest him now!
“Mr Sibote urged chiefs to obey the law, adding that it is a serious offence for any person to be found with more than one NRC.”…… now mwami ba Sibote iyi mfumu yalakwa….mulandu ukulu bwana ba Sibote….ingene iyi mfumu ba mwami ba sibote….iseluke pa nsapato olo pa nkwabilo bwana Bwana ba Sibote si choncho nanga?
bwana uyu mulandu ni ukulu kupambana uja wa Mpombo olo uja wa Masumba….ulibe pardon uyu mulandu…mamamamama …iyi mfumu izanya ngati twaipeza ise ma constable!
very sad indeed. y take advantage of poor pipo,infact gods pipo.god wil sort out this i believe.
PF government has failed the N/W province chiefs and this sounds the chief is hungry and can not do any thing apart from forcing his subjects to give him food.
Chansonyi mwanta Museli. Chabunvu.
Deep thinker…..I thought you think! You state make no sense at all , not even sure who you are writing that comment too.