Masabane Jere, who is Inkosi Mzikubola of Mzimba, was on Saturday kicked out of a stakeholders’ meeting in the district on grounds that his chieftaincy is under dispute.
The district executive committee (DEC) meeting invited chiefs, members of Parliament (MPs) and other stakeholders to discuss development issues.
A source who attended the meeting said when the meeting was about to start, Mzimba South MP Paul Shaba expressed concern that Jere was attending the meeting as Inkosi Mzikubola when his issue was in court.
Mzimba district commissioner (DC) the Reverend Moses Chimphepo was then asked to read a copy of the said injunction.
Shaba confirmed in an interview yesterday that he raised the issue about Mzikubola.
He said: “It came to my attention that there was an injunction against Masabane Jere. The chiefs indeed went to a private meeting after the DC had read out the injunction. That was when he [the chief] was told not to attend the meeting.”
Asked why he attended the meeting despite the court case, Jere said he was invited and had an obligation to attend.
Said Jere: “The way [the legislator] Paul Shaba raised the issue was very rude and the chiefs did not want to wash the dirty linen in public because I could have responded to him.”
But Shaba denied that he was rude, saying he raised the issue to protect the chief.
He said: “I am a lawyer by profession and I had the obligation to help him. I did not want him to be involved in contempt of court matters and that was helping him.”
Chimphepo refused to discuss the matter.
The High Court in Mzuzu last month granted an injunction restraining Masabane Jere from being installed as InkosiMzikubola. This was after Zoba Jere claimed that he was the rightful heir to the throne.
The court ordered that crown prince Mkhosi Jere (M’mbelwa V), Inkosi Mtwalo and Inkosi Mpherembe summon the two parties to a hearing within 30 days.
