… Accuse DDC of using inputs to force them into submission
Brighton Chiseva
ZAKA- Nyakunhuwa clansmen have vowed to resist the appointment of Oswell Maguta as the new substantive chief saying he not from the five houses that have a stake in the Nyakunhuwa chieftaincy.
His appointment came as a result of the late expiry of term of office of the former acting Chief Courage Mashavave who took over reins in 2016 following the death of his father Jerera Wafawanaka Mashavave in 2015.
Constitutionally when a Chief dies, the acting chief is appointed mainly from his surviving biological children and should reign on acting basis for only two years.
However, in many instances acting chiefs manipulate the selection processes to remain in power which they mainly do using political muscle usurped from supporting the ruling party.
Mashavave, a staunch Zanu PF supporter who publicly declared his support for the party told his lieutenants (headmen and village heads) to support the party going against the constitution which forbids traditional leaders from being partisan.
Since the formation of the chieftaincy, five houses namely Mutsvangwa, Mutonhori, Mututuvare, Murembwa and Machingambi have been taking turns to rule and now regard as the imposition of the Baramanza family into their chieftaincy as irregular.
The houses claim to solely have the legitimate right to choose and agree on who sits on the Nyakunhuwa throne.
One of the Nyakunhuwa headmen Junias Magadzire who is headman Mutsvangwa said they will not submit to the new chief who is not from one of the five houses saying the chief is being imposed on them violating their tradition.
He went on to accuse the District Development Coordinator (DDC) Memory Dhliwayo of being bribed by the Baramhanza family to sneak them into the chieftaincy.
“Our tradition is being violated, we have been rotating the chieftaincy amongst the five houses and it’s only now when the Baramanza family is showing up. We will not submit to him and we will fight for what is rightfully ours,” said Magadzire.
He went on to accuse the DDC of using presidential input distribution programmes to parade and impose the new chief saying those who do not submit to him will not benefit from the scheme.
“We refused to attend meetings called for by the DDC to introduce the new chief and the DDC is now targeting food aid and input distribution schemes to parade the new chief to the people and threatening to deregister those who resist his ascendency to the throne from the beneficiary lists. However, we are here for that and we will continue to fight for what is legitimately ours,” added Magadzire.
He said they will soon go to Harare to seek audience with the responsible ministry to look into the matter.
Efforts to get comments from Dhliwayo and her boss, Dr Jefta Sakupwanya who is the Permanent Secretary in the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution’s office were futile as both their cellphones went unanswered several times.
In 2020, the five houses petitioned the Permanent Secretary in the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, then Provincial Development Coordinator (PDC), Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution as well as the Provincial Chief’s Council, claiming that the Baramanza house’s claim to the throne was illegitimate.
They said the founding chief, who is their forefather, had five sons whose descendants are the legitimate ruling families and they do not include the Baramanza family whom they claim descended from the one of the founding chief’s brothers.
In their petition letter, they said their chieftaincy’s peace was being threatened by the Baramanza clan through fraudulent means thereby depriving them their legitimate birthright.
Nyakunhuwa chieftaincy derives its name from the heroics of a highly-decorated strategist and military genius named Chamagwenjere who defied his health ailments when his back oozed worms but soldiered on, with the wounds producing an unbearable smell hence the moniker Nyakunhuwa, legend says.
They said Chamagwenjere fought and established his own territory so it will be very unfair to share the spoils with his brothers and cousins who did not partake in his struggles.
They claim that Chamagwenjere was son to Donoro whose brother Muyengwa is the forefather of the Baramanza clan.
Donoro himself was son to Svazvi and the contemporary Baramanza clan as well as several others such as Chakanyuka and Chipato who are descendants of Muyengwa and therefore, have no legitimate right to a ruling class established by Chamangwenjere.
In the entire history of this chieftainship, only the above mentioned sons have reportedly enjoyed turns to the the throne and Baramanza ascendency would be the first time the chieftainship goes out of the five houses.
From the papers which they claimed were obtained from the National Archives, the throne went to Mukazi who was from the Murembwa family after the death of Chamangwenjere. It later on moved to Matorevhu of the Machingambi family, who held it until 1920.
The chieftainship remained in Machingambi family under Mafuratidze who reigned until 1941 and was replaced by Mashawi who acted until he died in 1944.
Chiwoniwoni from Mutsvangwa family took over until 1971 and his son Hakurimwe was acting chief until he was replaced by Zimunga who was also from the Machingambi family.
From 1975, the chieftaincy went to Dzviti of the Mututuvare family, who reigned until 2004 only to be replaced by Mashavave from Machingambi family who reigned until his death in 2015.
The disgruntled family’s claim that the archival material show that the Mutonhori family had never held the chieftainship and is a better option than the Baramanzas.
The Nyakunhuwa chieftainship kingmaker (Zigadzi) Godfree Muzvimwe once claimed that the Baramanza family bribed their way into the royalty and they do not deserve to the there.
“We think the DCC and the chief’s council representatives were bribed. The matter started way back before the beginning of the tenure of the current DCC. The preceding DCC was bribed by the Baramanza family,” said Muzvimwe.
They equated themselves to the Biblical 12 tribes of Israel, whom they said were now being unfairly robbed of their heritage by the descendants of Esau.
