There was commotion at Kande in Nkhatabay where an angry mob ransacked Senior Chief Fukamapiri’s office and stole various items.
The district’s police publicist Ignatius Esau said the incident happened on Thursday, 5th October.
According to Esau, Chief Fukamapiri and Kande health centre have been fighting over a piece of land and recently the traditional leader started constructing a building on the land.
The publicist said on several occasions, the District Health Officer (DHO) and the chief have been engaging in meetings aimed at bringing to an end their differences but no tangible results were yielded until the construction of the building reached roof level.
This angered the DHO and in a move to force the chief to demolish the structure and vacate the land, on October 5 services at the healthy facility were temporarily suspended.
Angered with suspension of health services and at the same time showing solidarity with the DHO’s decision, angry people teamed up and destroyed the building that was under-construction and later proceeded to the chief’s office where they smashed its doors and windows, destroyed files and stole 300 bags of lime meant for Malata subsidy programme.
During the fracas, the 77-year-old chief whose real name is Witley Phiri, Esnart Nyambalo who is ward councillor for Chintheche ward and village headman Ndeleko were injured and were all treated at Chintheche rural hospital as out-patients.
Meanwhile, police have not arrested anyone on the matter as investigations are on-going. However, the police have so far managed to recover 39 out the 300 bags of lime but value of damaged and stolen items is yet to be known.
