A ward councillor in Choma has expressed concern at the increasing incidences of orphans and widows in chief Moyo’s area being dispossessed of traditional land upon the demise of their breadwinners.
Kauba ward councillor, Harry Hamuntanga, told ZANIS in Choma today that the negative vice is being perpetrated by mainly relatives of the deceased men who are usually the family bread winners.
Councillor Hamuntanga said several windows and orphans, who have been deprived of land, can no longer continue with their normal lives after the death of husbands and fathers because all the property including land is grabbed.
He said the victims fail to seek recourse in local traditional courts because of fear of being bewitched by the perpetrators.
Councillor Hamuntanga added that incidences of witchcraft are rife in the area because of its remoteness.
The councillor said he is aware of several widows and orphans who are living in misery as a result of this deprivation and abuse.
He regretted that most human rights organisations championing the cause of widows and orphans in the country are Lusaka-based and yet acts of abuse and violation of rights were rifer in rural areas.
Councillor Hamuntanga challenged the human rights organisations to visit the area and see for themselves the magnitude of suffering of widows and orphans as a result of unlawful dispossession of family property.
#1
so
husbands should empower thier wifes with education and skills to avoid such when they die.
heheheh eko byaba
TRAGIC!!!
What does Maestro have to say in defence?
I thought this Chi habit used to happen in 19th century?! Come on guyz, let us have a heart for those in bereavment.Ala! And where are so called NGOs or human rights. Are you also sleeping like one of the African presidents-they are just busy lobbying for funds so the West so that as soon as they are funded, they build big mansion of houses at the expense of poor villagers who merely eat once in a life time sometimes eat what is not even edible! Ma labishi!!!
I thought that was HH sorry that is another HH typical of tonga’s i have lived with them and i know them. ya ba chisha.
That maestro’s mother and brothers what a shame.
correction: I meant ‘lobbying for funds from the West’.Neo-Government Organization (NGO)and Inhuman Rights.
SOUTHERN POWERE HERE I COME,VERY WELL INFORMED PROVINCE.I LIKE.
Maybe its part of the upnd manifesto
I have come to realize that usualy a person who is number 1 on the blog has no sence, mostly with manners like that of a child.
No.1 Grow up
RB or Vera’hope fdn can help am sure
Father God help the poor so such things still happen eeishh!!
no. 6 we don’t need any defence. leave mr maestro alone every village in every part of zambia west, east, north & south its the same. my brother mr maestro you are great in your own way thats why bloggers keep asking where is maestro. viva my brother you shine.
I feel sorry for that grandma,Govement you mean you can not open any goverment orphanage for these people.Iam a proud Zedian,but sometimes I feel bad to say it,because other countries e.g(south africa) orphans are entitled to Grants,why can’t we do the same Pa Zed? Guys naimwe mwe ma property grabbers Mulekwatako uluse,why can’t you work for your own thing that to reap where you did not sow.Nine Chale boyi How are you? Boyi Naumfwa ububi ze mbuya abeshikulu bafula,Don’t you think we can do something for people like Ze mbuya and the grandchildren? Baby C how are you? today lets not fight,but lets bring our Ideas together and see how we can help our people back home.Iam not a Grade 12 failure
Guys let us educate our relatives from the villages to understand that such practices do not have a place in modern society, it is not limited to our Tonga colleagues but all of us should have an input.
Mwasebana mwe ba Tonga!!! In this day and age still practicing such?? these chaps need to be taken to the victim support kuli ba kapokola…how to you honestly grab property from a vulnerable woman and children?? Property you didn’t not sweat for?? Classic case of reaping were you did not sow. No difference at all with thieves!!!!
#18 that’s what I want.you are right this thing is everywhere na ku myesu ku luapula.Change we need!Yes We can!it is up to you #18,myself and many other to bring this nonsense of property grabbing to an end.Yes we can!
#19 You are very right! Ifi ba Tonga ubututu! This tribe is still in the dark side of civilisstion.
Shame on you aisha! But then what do you expect with all the poverty around this country. I agree with the others who say its not only Hakainde’s relative who do such evil things. God help us.
Human Rights Commission please go round in rural areas and address these issues. These villagers do not seem to know their rights. Widows and orphans
#19 and #21 What have the Tongas done to you? Property grabbers are all over the country even in Northern province and Luapula. Do you mean by being a thief you are civilised?
Iwe chi #24(Weston), can’t you read that tongas are grabbing bereaved families’ properties and you are asking what they done! You must be a shameless property grabber yourself. Where some of us come from property grabbing is taboo!
#25, be real, property grabbing is all over the country not only in the tonga land. In fact this word would not have been there if the vice never existed in the world. The thing is, property grabbing should be stopped at all cost and should be condemned with all action possible. Property grabbers should be brought to the wrath of the law if such a law does exist in Zambia. Maestro HH will comment in the same lines when he resurfaces, thats for sure.
We need laws that will give more protection to vulnerable women. Traditional leaders also have a role to play in protecting women. It is sad that we still have such cases in zambia!
though property grabbing happens in almost all parts of the country, tongas are just the worst. in all the years i have lived in eastern province i have never witnessed such occurances and have only heard about them once in a while. i hate to say but tongas have the most disgusting attitudes towards deceased relatives’ families. they just dont care! and before you jump to my throat, im speaking from experience and have seen it happen too many times.kaya nikusamphunzila kaya.they usually complain ati they are stereotyped but its just the truth.maybe if they didnt scramble for the deceased’s property we would have different view of them.shame…
My father is Bemba and My Mum is from the east. When my father died, his relatives came and grabbed all what my mum and dad sweated for in life. Actually before my father was baried his relatives had already put stickers bearing their names on goods such us fridges, bed etc. So please property grabbing is everywhere in zambia not only tongas. Its only that many tongas live on the line of rail so whatever happens its heard easily. Let us be mature in mind and recognise a problem so that we can have a solution.
all of you trying to say Tongas are the only ones in this vive are cheap minions who think that you are saints if your evils are not known. I wounder why some Bembas have such hated for Tongas. Thats why even PF did not win because of some people thinking that they are better than others. People even laugh when someone says they are from Mumbwa as if Chinsali or Chiengi are even towns to talk about…my foot, lets be real here. Tongas and Ngonis have more traditional wealthy than any other tribe in Zambia imwe bangwele….
#30 Atase, we’re not saying Tongas are the only people in the habit of grabbing property. We’re simply reiterating the headline that it is rife in Choma. It’s a good thing we didn’t vote for HH as he’d have grabbed Zambia’s property.
Ba-soap!
No 31, the more you hate a person the more you bless him. It is like you have your natural hate on certain people like hh. I know you are a failure in life and usually people like you hate those who are wise and can manage their resources. Even where you are you will never succeed because you failed in your own land. We can see you are insulting from abroad, am just here for a business trip I do not global trot for wealthy and asylum where I cannot raise my head.
#31, Chisenga Chimwemwe! Stick to the topic, young man. Ndiye problem yanu ba “some of us”. Until you learn that there are other opinions to yours, you’ll always look at issues through tinted glasses. Out of over 11 million people, you think everybody will see things your way?
Enjoy your trip back home.
Both my parents are Bembas, but I grew up in Tongaland. These people are a very likable lot. They do have their own share of obnoxious practices, but so do other tribes. Their biggest problem is that they regard a wife as part of the husbands property (lubono)and as such, when the hubby dies, relatives dont feel much empathy or even obligation towards the widow. They simply need a change of attitude, otherwise they are good people.
I hope #19 and #21 are either Lozi, Lunda/Luvale or Kaonde, otherwise if you are making these comments from another tribe, you are way out of line.
#34 thanks and let me tell you you the history of this which has obviously been altered in years for selfish reasons. You see if I have a sister, when she gets married I would be the one to keep the cows and those cows would reproduce. Once I am dead, the children to my sister would come and get what belongs to their mother that is why only nephews and nieces used to inherit property. And then after that is taken, the remaining property would be bequeathed to the one appointed as the father, in some cases they would even marry the widow (kuzyola in tonga)and take care of the children of the late. And a few things would be given to a few people, this is where the law on dying intestate…
… contd 36 is derived from. It is nothing new about this the only thing new is that selfishness has taken precedence over culture. That is the Tonga culture, I attended a bemba funeral and the isambo lyamfwa basically takes the same form, the man who was given the father figure was given basic instruments from the late that identified him as the father to the children. This is short is why in africa the word orphan was not very prominent because I would have many fathers.
Gender mufwaya. tepapa ngo wa kuroma
at least there is property to grab in choma…. in kasama and chinsali, prostitution is rife by mothers and daughters as husbands and fathers do not work and just lazy as a typical northerner
mama c
Its very unfortunate. The government cannot do anything but the tongas have to be taught to change their mindsets. its not all of them but the majority are property grabbers. What can one profit from grabbing pots and plates from a poor villager? Shame upon such evil traditions.
Fellow bloggers its not only Tongos that grab even Sengas and the rest of the tribes.
Property grabbers are usually that part of relatives that are very lazy to earn their own things through hard work.They even pray for you to expire so that they can get everything from your wife and kids.I hate Property Grabbers and I wish the govt was giving hard punishment to such lazy fellows
Ubufontini pa Zed
ba # 43 you are correct nomba chinjeniko ishina kaili!!
ala property grabbing lisambi, lesa alilanda ati ukachusha mukamfwilwa nangu utwana tunono, ngaba lila ifilamba nkabomfwa. Akamikanda lesa mukapa mwebakwat masange yabipefi. imagine if these were your own children…
I think women everywhere need to be empowered with skills that will enable them to, first, stand up against relatives that would like to grab property and second, start life afresh with the children which strangely are never grabbed