By Orchestra Kamanga and Robert Kumwenda
The Former T/A Chekucheku iv of Neno district has accused the office of attorney General (Kalekeni Kaphale) for his dismissal saying he was involved because he comes from Neno in T/A Dambe where there is boundary dispute (wrangle with him).
He also accused neon DC Lawford Palani saying he was the one who forced Assembly to stop paying salary to Village Head Men and Group Village Head Men in 2010 despite that treasury were releasing the money.
“Lawford Palani also engineered people in my area to match for my removal as a chief on September 14, 2009,” he said.
He therefore ask government to extend their public service reforms in the district councils because it seems that the District Commissioner (DC) have more powers than the President.
For instance he said in 22 September 2915 he wrote a letter to meet the President through Chief Secretary George Mkondiwa him about the corrupt practices happening at Neno District Council but he was blocked by people from the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).” Am the one who consolidated the chieftancy of Chekucheku because am one of the founders.
He further said that elders from Chekucheku family gave him a letter that gave him powers and it was signed and photographed” he said.
He said on March 2007 when he was elevated as Chief the then Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Dr George Chaponda asked the people to oppose if he was not the rightful person for the chieftaincy but no one opposed.
“Dr George Chaponda said the silence showed that the people wanted me as their chief,” he said.
In a related development it has been reported that 3 million bags of charcoal are being lost everyday due to the selling of charcoal those who want to investigate can investigate he said.
The chief was suspended on May 15 2014 by the Joyce Banda administration before being fired by Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika in April this year.
He was dismissed for bringing confusion in the area like elevating Sub T/A’s without the DC’s knowledge, grabbing people’s land and swindling orphans money.
Allegations which he denied saying he was fired because fighting for his land which other chiefs in Neno entered and encroached, the said people are T/A Dambe who encroached 15kms and 4kms in other side while T/A Symon encroached 7kms and chief Mlauli hafh kms.
“When the boundary case went to Blantyre High Court on case 634 of 2013 l won the case which was presented to Chibambo and company.Former Neno DC Kadammanja ordered these chiefs ( Dambe, Symon and Mlauli) to bring their map but they failed to do so,”he said.
Later T/Aa Dambe and T/A Symon took the matter to the office of Attorney General to solve the wrangle because he was interested party he failed to do so as his father hails from village Chimbalanga in the area of T/ Dambe.
“Because of the delays l took the matter to Changamnjira and company (lawyer) to speed up the case but they just keep on adjouring the case till l was fired so that l should not have powers to claim land from the three chiefs.
Former Chief claimed that he was most victim T/A during Joyce Banda’s Administration from Karonga to Nsanje.
He said before being fired (case no 30 of 2014 at Blantyre high Court) but the court reversed the suspension decision.
He also accused Neno DC Memoery Kaleso Monteiro for elevating sub T/A’, Village Headmen and Group Village Head men without his knowledge.
Kaleso elevated GHV Benson Donda but the high court rebuff Kalesos’s decision and Donda won the case (case no 117 of 2915 at high court in Blantyre.
The chief said after all these accusations legal advisor in the ministry of justice Apoche Itumu and Lawrence Makonokaya director of chief at Local government and rural development came for hearing thee matter level against him but verdict was in favour of T/A Chekucheku.
The team was suppose to come up with there inquries but they came up with only one inquiry and not for inquiry of Inkosi Gomani, late T/A Chapananga, Kapeni and Chikumbu but promised to bring the inquiry later but they failed until he was fired so that he should not have powers to claim his land.
“My worry is that how I will going to get compensation since government is not willing to assist me in all my cases,” he said.
Therefore he requested Malawi Law Society to help his lawyers so that government should not be involved and intimidate them when the case goes to court for compensation.
He wandered why neon DC gave chieftaincy to people who burn his three houses killed his 10 cattle and removed his three teeth.” How they can run area with such behavior,” he said.
With the compensation he urged honest NGOs like Malawi Economic Justine Network (MEJN) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) to help so that the justice should prevail.
Attempts to talk the accussed people proved futile as their mobile phones could not be reached for their comment on the matter.
