PEACE is a hallmark of democracy and we want to join President Lungu in urging senior chiefs Ishindi and Ndungu of Zambezi to embrace it wholeheartedly.
The two traditional leaders command large constituencies of subjects and authority within their chiefdoms.
As a bedrock of democracy, peace demands that all those that live in a given situation co-exist despite the differences that might exist between them.
Chiefs in our society play a key role in promoting peace because of the masses they command and we see this every day.
Our traditional leaders are highly-revered by their subjects and given this, they are placed on a higher pedestal of power in their domains.
On the other hand, traditional authority unites people of the same cultural grouping and who, at the most, practise the same norms and customs.
Traditional leaders are as old as society and since their power is legitimately derived from traditional norms, values and culture, they have authority which they have inherited.
Therefore, the scope of authority places upon traditional leaders a great responsibility to ensure that there is peace and co-existence with others who do not belong to their cultural grouping.
We now live in an age when disputes between tribes have been consigned to the history books and the development discourse has since taken centre stage.
It is in this regard that President Lungu is urging the two chiefs to set aside their differences, reconcile and embrace peace.
It is saddening  to hear that in a time like this one, the two chiefs could not see eye-to-eye and it was the first time they were doing so when the President met them to urge them to live at peace with each other.
The dispute between chiefs Ndungu and Ishindi stem from language and boundary matters.
As traditional leaders, the two chiefs are pace-setters and they hold the key to bringing about peace in Zambezi district.
We want to urge them to come together and dialogue. This is important in ironing out their differences as dialogue will help them come to an agreement over a solution.
We want to see the chiefs arrive at a win-win situation in their dialogue so that peace comes about and sets a stage for development to take place.
It is difficult to enhance development when there is no peace among traditional leaders because they hold the key to issues concerning their subjects’ welfare.
As it is, Zambezi district ranks low on the country’s development index, and any dispute between leaders can discourage even those who want to take development there.
The dispute between the chiefs is one of the elements that call for a constant reminder of the ‘One Zambia, one nation” motto, which promotes unity and love for one another.
The House of Chiefs, which looks into the affairs of traditional leaders, should continue to pursue a solution so that the two chiefs co-exist and see each other as partners in development.
We are confident that the House of Chiefs will find a lasting solution for the benefit of the two chiefs’ subjects who are part of the “One Zambia, one nation” motto.