HH GRABBED MY CATTLE
A STATE witness has narrated in the Lusaka magistrate court how President Hakainde Hichilema sent bailiffs to his house to grab his 112 cattle and a vehicle after he won elections in 2021.
Mr. Misheck Hambwalula, 71, of Zimba in Southern province told magistrate Amy Masoja that after he lost the case where he had sued Mr. Hichilema over his father’s land in 2020 in the Livingstone High court, the President sent his lawyers to his house to grab his properties.
Mr. Hambwalula said he had sued Mr. Hichilema over his father’s farms in Kalomo district in 2018.
In January 2021, the Livingstone High Court dismissed a case in which Hambwalula had sued Mr Hichilema over a land dispute in relation to four farms in Kalomo, Southern province.
And Lusaka High Court Judge, Chilombo Maka who was then based in Livingstone High court had stated that Hambwalula had no legal authority to sue over the farm where he was not the administrator but merely a beneficiary.
Mr. Hambwalula said after he lost the case, Mr. Hichilema demanded for damages of K2 million.
He said he received a notice from the bailiffs who got his cattle and a land cruiser vehicle.
When asked in cross examination by State counsel, Mr. Chifumu Banda if it was Nawakwi who encouraged him to sue Mr. Hichilema over his father’s farm, he said the time he sued he never knew her.
He said he sued Mr. Hichilema in 2018 way before he met Nawakwi.
Mr. Hambwalula said his claims in court were that he never knew how the land was gotten.
He said Mr. Hichilema’s then lawyer, Solistor general, Mr. Marshall Muchende called him and they had a discussion before he made a video where he claimed Nawakwi told him that she never wanted Mr . Hichilema to appear on the 2021 ballots.
He said he went to the President to apologize about what had transpired and his animals and vehicle were returned to him.
He said Nawakwi had called him to Lusaka and booked a lodge where he met Milton and Pheluna Hatembo.
“Nawakwi provided food and paid for my lodge, we ate breakfast with the Hatembos and they left the following morning while I remained with the lawyers to discuss about the court case in Livingstone,” he said.
He said Nawakwi told him he was going to help him in appealing the matter, but he never appealed.
“In September 2020 I received a call from a strange number when I was at my farm around 14 hours from madam Nawakwi, she introduced herself stating that she will visit the farm. Around 16-17 hours same day she arrived, she came with a car but I could not know the number of people in the car but only two people entered my house and I welcomed them, it was Nawakwi and another lady.
She asked me about farms which was on mortgage at Lima bank, it was my father’s farm George Semani Hambwalula farm 801 in Kalomo district and the other farm was for the Hatembos and was on mortgage it was farm 1924. I told them that the matter involved farm for Hambwalula was in high court,” he said.
He told the court that he was still in good terms with Nawakwi.
In this matter, Forum for Democracy and Development(FDD) leader, Edith Nawakwi, 63, also a farmer is charged with four counts of threatening violence Contrary to Section 90 (a) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 and Kidnapping or abducting with intent to confine person Contrary to Section 256 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that that between August 31, 2021 and September 1, 2022, while acting with others unknown, with intent to cause injury or alarm, threatened to kill Milton Hatembo and Pheluna Hatembo to which she said “I will kill you by chopping you head if you tell anyone whatever I discuss”.
It is also alleged that between the same dates, Nawakwi, jointly and while acting with unknown others, abducted the Hatembos from Choma to Lusaka with intent to cause them to be secretly and wrongly confined against her wishes.
HH GRABBED MY CATTLE and a vehicle after he won elections in 2021
