THE Shakumbila Royal Establishment has filed an application for interim order of injunction in the Lusaka High Court to stop dethroned Chief Shakumbila, Patrick Chikumbe Chibamba, from interfering with the installation of the newly appointed chief.
The petitioners, Ackson Shibalanga Shachele, Edgar Mwambula and Dennis Changachanga, who are chairman of the Chief Shakumbila Royal Establishment Committee, senior member of the Chief Shakumbila Royal Family and a subject of the chiefdom respectively have urged the court to grant them the injunction as not being able to present the new chief to the subjects with the relevant tools of office would cause irreparable damage to the chiefdom.
“By virtue of the foregoing authorities, it is our submission that it is clear that the petitioners herein have a more clear right to relief as we have already demonstrated. Further, as the Shakumbila Royal establishment Committee, the subjects and the royal family possess the mandate to appoint and remove chief Shakumbila, they shall suffer irreparable damage, loss and injury if they are prevented from presenting the newly selected chief through a peaceful ceremony without the interference of the respondent, his agents or his servants. In addition, the newly appointed Chief Shakumbila shall be rendered ineffective if the instruments of power and other royal property are not handed over to the Shakumbila Royal Establishment and the royal family,” read the petition.
“The royal establishment proceeded to install a new chief whom they intend to present to the public at a peaceful ceremony without interference by the respondent, his servants or his agents seeing that the respondent has in the past used violence and intimidation to interfere with and scare members of the royal family and subjects.”
According to the petition, the respondent ascended to the throne of Chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district in 2007 during which he committed several breaches and wrongdoings against the Sala people of Mumbwa district, the royal family and the Shakumbila Royal Establishment committee.
As a consequence of the respondent’s said wrongdoings and breaches, on October 11, 2020, the Royal family members of the Shakumbila chiefdom of the Sala people of Mumbwa district and the Royal Establishment and general subjects sat and made a resolution that the respondent be removed from the throne and that he be replaced with immediate effect
He was removed for several breaches which include rampant sale, allocation or gifting of traditional land to foreign nationals and other individuals; utilising proceeds from the sales, allocation or gifting of land for his own benefit and the benefit of his close relatives and causing or creating disunity or division amongst the royal family and general subjects of the chiefdom.
The petitioners, therefore, are seeking an order declaring that the respondent, by his conduct, contravened Articles 165(1), 166 and 167 of the Constitution (as amended) during his chieftaincy and an order that the respondent vacates the palace and hands over the instruments of power and other royal property to the first petitioner as chairperson of the Royal Establishment Committee.
The petitioners are further seeking an order that the respondent ceases to hold himself out or purport to act as chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district, an interim order for injunction retraining the respondent, whether by himself or his agents, from interfering with the presentation ceremony of the new chief, costs and any order the court may deem fit.
