MASEBO REPORTED TO ACC FOR ABUSE OF OFFICE AND CORRUPTION
…as Kampasa villagers asks ACC to recommend to President Hichilema to suspend Masebo
By New Dawn Reporter
KAMPASA villagers in Chongwe District are up in arms against their Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo whom they have accused of abusing her authority, hence reporting her to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for abuse of authority, altering survey documents and corruption.
According to a detailed letter of complaint filed at the ACC, copied to Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwimbu, Minister of Local Government and Housing Gary Nkombo, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Elijah Muchima, Deputy Inspector of Police In-charge of Operations Milner Muyambango and Commissioner of Lands, Masebo is accused of being behind what they call illegal eviction and demolition of structures carried out by Police officers without the knowledge of the Police Command at Force Headquarters.
The residents through their representatives Jateo Zulu have accused Masebo who is also Minister of Health of betrayal in the manner she has turned against them after asking her to help them legalize the land with the Ministry of Lands.
The residents now want ACC investigate Masebo for corruption and abuse of authority in the manner she has conducted herself, to the disbelief of Minister of Local Government Garry Nkombo..
According to the letter dated 29th March, 2023, the residents have accused Masebo of using her office to grab the land.
“Case against Hon. Masebo. Hon. Sylvia Masebo, MP has used or abused her authority as Member of Parliament for Chongwe constituency, a constituency we are part of by vigorously trying to illegally evict us from our village which has been established for a very long time.
Hon. Masebo has used our vulnerability to her advantage as we had gone to beg her to help our cause but she has instead turned around on us and joined hands with the caretaker at Galaunia Farms Limited to grab land which does not belong to them,” the letter states in part.
The residents have also accused Masebo of ordering the Zambia Police Service to
carry out what they have described as her illegal actions without the blessing of the Zambia Police Service top command.
According to the residents, in 2012 when Masebo was Minister of Tourism and Arts she sent officers from the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to evict them without a court order or notice and property destroyed.
The residents have also complained that Masebo working together with a named caretaker of Galaunia farms limited have forged the survey documents in order to capture the land in question as part of the Galaunia farms too.
“And in 2012 Hon. Masebo commanded officers from the Zambia Wildlife Authority to evict us without any court order or notice. Hon. Masebo has in conjunction with the Caretaker at Galaunia Farms Limited purportedly altered the survey diagrams for Farm 33a so that Kampasa village is captured within the boundaries of Farm 33a. I believe that her actions are captured within the provisions of the law under section 21 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012 as her arbitrary actions are a clear abuse of the office of member of parliament which are prejudicial to our rights and interests as the Kampasa residents,” the letter reads in part.
The group representative identified as Jateo Zulu has therefore, asked the ACC Director General Tom Shamakamba to institute abuse, forgery and corruption investigations against Masebo.
“It is on the basis of the above, that I humbly request your office institutes investigations as it is my considered view that there is a case of abuse of office by Hon. Masebo. It is my further considered view that the failure to quickly investigate Hon. Masebo will be to our further detriment and we therefore call upon you to quickly investigate her actions as per her admission to Hon. Nkombo and to other witnesses we can bring to you. We also call for a recommendation from yourselves to the Republican President for her immediate suspension from office as we do not feel safe as she has so much power to do whatever she wants and she may interfere with investigations in this matter,” stated Zulu.
