Chief Muyombe of the Tumbuka people of Muyombe in Mafinga district in Muchinga Province, has appealed to his subjects with illegal guns to surrender them to him or the police.
Speaking at his palace yesterday when Mafinga Member of Parliament Robert Chabinga paid a courtesy call on him, Chief Muyombe said there are a lot of illegal guns in his Chiefdom being used in illicit activities.
Chief Muyombe said all those with illegal guns should voluntarily surrender them to him saying they will not be prosecuted if they did that.
He also appealed to the Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO), a social enterprise that supports wildlife conservation and small scale farmers in Zambia, to continue with its programme of sensitising the local community on the need to surrender all illegal guns.
The traditional leader said three years ago, COMACO undertook a programme of reformation where people who willingly surrendered illegal guns were trained in various skills such as bricklaying and carpentry.
Chief Muyombe said about 16 illegal guns were surrendered in his Chiefdom during that time and brought to his palace and later handed over to COMACO for onward delivery to authorities.
He said people who willingly surrendered illegal guns were given tools for carpentry and bricklaying after being trained so that they engage in economic activities, earn an income and contribute to the welfare of their families.
“Am still appealing to my subjects to surrender all the illegal guns. We need peace in this district, ” said Chief Muyombe.
Meanwhile, Mafinga MP Robert Chabinga is appealing to authorities to ensure all livestock in the district have ear tags or brand marks so that animals being used to pay assailants involved in the ruthless killings are trailed.
Mr. Chabinga said ear tags or brand marks can help trail the movement of animals especially those connected to illegal activities could be traced.
“These killings are done in family circles and assailants are paid heads of cattle and so to curtail this, we need to have ear tags or brand marks on the animals so that suspected movements of animals could be controlled, ” said Mr. Chabinga
Over the weekend, Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba deployed 30 paramilitary police officers to Mafinga district in a bid to curb the increased ruthless killings of people on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
Muchinga Province Deputy Police Commanding Officer Lucky Munkondya recently told the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS ) that the police command is concerned with the increased ruthless killings of people on suspicion of practicing witchcraft in Mafinga.
Ms. Munkondya said Mafinga is one of the districts in the province with increased cases of people being killed on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
“The Province has recorded a reduction in crime but we still have a problem with Mafinga which is recording cases of people being killed on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. Our officers are on the ground to ensure this act is controlled, ” said Ms. Munkondya.
She said people in the area were using hired assailants popularly known as “Wajambazi ” to carry out atrocities who are later paid heads of cattle for carrying the assassination.
