Police arrest ‘chieftainess’ Sekute
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
POLICE in Livingstone have arrested ‘chieftainess’ Sekute for forgery.
According to a police report obtained by The Mast, Joyce Nalucha Sekute aged 60 who is a stepdaughter to late senior chief Alfred Lwiizi Sekute was arrested at 11:10 hours on Monday.
“UPDATE REPORT ON THE ARREST OF JOYCE NALUCHA SEKUTE: LSTONE CENTRAL OB# 763/24 AND APPB# 224/24. Be informed that today Monday the 22nd of October, 2024 at 11:10hrs, F/Joyce Nalucha Sekute aged 60yrs of V/Sekute C/Sekute D/Kazungula who was represented by Nora Chishimba of MAK Partners Lstone was arrested for three counts of forgery and one count of uttering false documents C/S 347 and 352 of the penal code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia. The same has since been detained in police custody at Lstone Central police Station,” the police report reads in part.
In September 2020 Nalucha proclaimed herself deputy chieftainess after the death of senior chief Sekute.
However, a sessecion wrangle ensued between her and Emmanuel Kalonga Sekute, nephew to the late chief, who contended that he was the rightful heir to the throne.
This led to then Livingstone High Court judge Chilombo Maka Phiri issue an exparte order of injunction dated October 28, 2020 asking her to desist from masquerading as senior chief Sekute.
In May 2022 her attempts to have Emmanuel restrained from holding himself as senior chief Sekute was rejected by judge Phiri.
In her ruling, judge Phiri said the injunction is a discretionof the court.
“It is trite that the injunction is an equitable remedy and granted in discretion of the court. It is further trite that one of the maxims of the equity is the ‘he who comes to equity must come with clean hands’. The first defendant (Joyce Sekute) is currently facing contempt proceedings for allagedly failing to obey an injunction. She cannot in my view seek to entrench her position which was brought about in alleged disobedience of a court order to maintain that status,” she said. “The view I take is that the first defendant cannot under the circumstances be entitled to any injuction whatsoever. The exparte application for an order of injuction is accordingly dismissed for being mischievous. I make no order for costs, leave to launch a fresh application in the court of appeal is hereby granted.”
In October 2021, government withdrew the instruments of power in a letter dated September 28, 2020 signed by Southern Province permanent secretary Namani Monze saying:
“In view of the aforementioned you are hereby directed to cease performing any duties or seemingly to or being seen to act as chief Sekute including moving with retainers as doing so will be tantamount to impersonating and abrogation of the court order. Kindly note that government’s position is that chiefdoms have their own traditions and customs of selecting who becomes the next chief and would not want to be drawn in the wrangles that are clearly propagating disunity in chiefdoms.”