SOME traditional leaders have reportedly started pushing
for the ouster of the Chiefs’ Council president Fortune Charumbira (pictured),
whom they accuse of frog-marching them into Zanu PF politics when they were
supposed to be non-partisan.
The council is set to hold elections for new office bearers
today in Masvingo under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec).
Efforts are reportedly also underway to strip Charumbira of
his chieftainship after the Traditional Leadership Support Services Department
(TLSSD) last year questioned his legitimacy.
The department wrote to the Local Government and National
Housing ministry calling on the minister to set up a probe team to investigate
the traditional leader’s legitimacy.
Chief Vezi Maduna is tipped to take over from Charumbira as
the Chiefs’ Council president while in Matabeleland North and South, Chief
Sibasa and Chief Jahana are likely to take over as provincial chiefs’ council
chairpersons.
The TLSSD memorandum to the minister provides a clear
lineage of the Charumbira chieftainship, which excludes the incumbent Chief
Charumbira.
“We refer to an application by F Mhihwa Mapingure to His
Excellency (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) for the resolution of the Charumbira
chieftainship dispute. After perusal of the Charumbira file, the department
thinks that the claim has substance… The Charumbira chieftainship was started
by Mudavanhu Chief number one who passed on the chieftainship to his sons in
order of seniority as follows: Mututuware − chief two, Mapingure − chief three,
Mutana − chief four, Mataruse − chief five, Mudzimbasekwe − chief six, Mawoni −
chief Seven, Magura − chief eight and Magyira − chief nine,” the memorandum
read in part.
TLSSD further traced how the chieftainship was handed down
before it was abolished and Mazha was appointed Headman Charumbira under Chief
Chekai Shumba on May 1, 1950, on the grounds that he had been acting chief for
several years and he was relatively younger than the correct claimants.
A meeting held in March 1961 established that Mazha was not
the correct office holder and the resuscitation of the chieftainship had to
pave way for the right heir (from the Mapingure house), according to the memo.
It was further noted that the legitimacy of Mazha’s claim
was never questioned even though the sons of Mapingure and Magura had stronger
claims.
TLSSD stated that appointment was done in terms of the vote
against the Charumbira custom on March 5, 1962 when a meeting which comprised
of 24 kraal heads voted to select a successor among Mazha of the Madyira house,
Nyaku of the Mapingure house and Muchati of the Mataruse house. Nyaku had 37
votes, Mazha 35 and Muchati 2.
“Once again, despite the vote which Nyaku won, customs and
tradition were at this point deliberately violated by the colonial system when
the provincial native commissioner recommended Mazha in his stead. Mazha was
appointed Chief Charumbira 10 on March, 1964,” the memo read.
“On December 23, 1968, one of Mazha’s sons, Zefaniya was
appointed deputy chief to assist his father in performing his duties. While he
was deputy chief, Zefaniya was appointed into the provincial assembly.
Following Mazha’s death, his son Zefaniya was appointed acting chief.”
Zefaniya acted for four years during which he rose through
the ranks to beSenator Chief Charumbira. He is believed to have used his
influence in the Council of Chiefs and his relationship with the Rhodesian
authorities to rise to the chieftainship “contrary to the succession custom of
the Charumbira clan”.
Zefaniya was appointed substantive chief in 1975. Following
his death on February 10, 1991, his son, Fortune, was appointed acting chief on
January 14, 1992, before he was promoted substantive chief by former President
Robert Mugabe.
The Mapingure clan contends that the chieftainship was
supposed to come to their house.
It is against this backdrop that TLSSD recommended a probe
to correct the error and appoint the deserving chief in line with the culture,
customs, traditions and practices of the Charumbira community.
Efforts to get comment from Charumbira and TLSSD director
Felix Chikovo on the developments were fruitless as their mobile phones went
unanswered since last week.
On Monday, Local Government minister July Moyo said he
could not comment as he was in a meeting and his number was unreachable
yesterday. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment