Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. GOVERNMENT is set to install an additional three chiefs in Murewa district, Mashonaland East province, in a move meant to curb corruption by parallel traditional leaders as the incumbent Chief Mangwende is finding it hard to cover the vast jurisdiction.
Murewa district once had four traditional leaders. However, three were dissolved by the colonial regime, leaving the whole district under the Mangwende chieftaincy.
Local Government and Public Works minister, Daniel Garwe, recently told a Zanu PF inter-district meeting at Hurungwe Primary School that the government is moving to install three more chiefs in Murewa to ease the burden on Chief Mangwende, real name Morgan Taaziva Gatsi.
“The government, with the guidance of traditional leaders, will continue to resuscitate chieftainships that were affected by colonial legacies,” Garwe said.
“In Murewa, government is set to install three new chiefs whose chieftainship was once abolished by the white settlers in 1896 because the people had refused to cooperate and to be subjugated by the colonialists. Chief Mangwende will remain a chief.
“The addition of these chiefs will be instrumental in building a prosperous Murewa and contributing to Vision 2030.”
The incumbent Chief Mangwende has appointed a steering committee to assist him in running the affairs in the district.
However, the committee stands accused of allegedly running a parallel process without the knowledge of the traditional leader. The committee has been accused of installing village heads and headmen in the resettlement areas, especially in Murewa South constituency, without Chief Mangwende’s knowledge.
Currently, resettlement areas are led by village development committees.
The steering committee is led by Franklin Mukarakate (chairperson), Edmore Mangwende (secretary), and committee members Tichafa Chibanda and Charles Mukarakate.
A Local Government investigation done by a six-member team led by one C Shumba (principal director of Rural Development and Rural Local Authorities) and gleaned by NewsDay Weekender, recommended the installation of three more chiefs.
“This proposal will see the current Mangwende chieftainship being split into two and then resuscitating the Bandakamwe RaGatsi and Nyagwizu Chikonamombe Dzete chieftainships,” read part of the report.
“… In terms of section 283b of the Constitution and section 29 of The Traditional Leaders Act, it is recommended that Murewa district be divided into four chieftainship areas as here understated.”
Murewa district has the second largest population in Mashonaland East province and the biggest in the province in terms of geographical area, covering 3 554 square kilometres.
The district, located about 87km from Harare, has 30 wards, 336 villages in the communal areas and five headmen.
The report, based on the 2012 census, argued that Chief Mangwende has 195 085 subjects as compared to Binga district, Matabeleland North province, where a chief has an average of 6 000 subjects.
According to the 2022 census report, Murewa district has 205 440 people.
The report said having Chief Mangwende as the sole traditional leader in the district was fuelling corruption.
“Murewa district, being the second largest in the province in terms of population size and geographical coverage, has only one chief, a situation that is proving untenable administratively both to central government and in terms of traditional leadership systems,” the report read.
“The investigation team revealed that inhabitants of the area are finding it difficult to access the services of the chief, especially when they have to go to the Mukarakate area whenever they want their disputes addressed.
“Communities from the furthest areas, on average, have to fork out US$30 in a single journey to Mukarakate, when, on average, for each dispute, more than five people will be needed, including witnesses. This amount of money is difficult to get in communal areas, effectively meaning many disgruntled communities cannot have their disputes resolved in time or at all because the chief is not easily accessible.
“The cost factor is deterrent enough for Murewa people to access legal justice from the chief’s local court.
“The effect of all this is very destructive on the ground and it has led to rampant corruption among the five headmen who have grown too powerful for the chief to institute discipline and this has also cascaded to the village heads who are involved in the ‘Seke style land sales’ to land seekers from Harare and former workers, thereby causing sprawling human settlements and land degradation.”
According to the report, the findings of the investigation team were recommended by the national chiefs council meeting held on September 28 to 29, 2017.
The national chiefs council adopted and endorsed the recommendations to establish three additional chieftainships in Murewa district.
Other members of the investigating team included one B. Muchenje (PAO Traditional Leadership Services), one F. A Chikovo (director TLSA), one J. Mapungwana (dep director TLSS), one J Munakira (PAO Mash East), one RB Muchenje (PAO TLSS) and one G Wadzvanywa (the then DA).
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