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| The families say the Baramanza clan has no legitimate right over the Nyakunhuwa throne |
Brighton
Chiseva
ZAKA – Five houses with
a stake in the Nyakunhuwa Chieftainship has united and petitioned authorities over
what they regard as the irregular imposition of the Baramanza family into their
chieftaincy, TellZim News has heard.
The houses claim that
only them have the legitimate right to choose and agree on who sits on the
Nyakunhuwa throne.
For the past few years,
each of the Mutsvangwa, Mutonhori, Mututuvare, Murembwa and Machingambi families
prepared for a chance to choose the substantive chief to replace Courage
Mashavave who has acted as chief since 2016 following the death of his father
Jerera Wafanaka Mashavave a year earlier.
In their petition
handed to the offices of the Zaka District Coordinator (DDC), the Provincial Development
Coordinator (PDC), the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and
the Provincial Chief’s Council, the Nyakunhuwas claim that the Baramanza house’s
claim to the throne was illegitimate.
After deliberations
held at Mudavanhu Primary School recently, Zaka DDC Memory Dhliwayo announced
that the chieftainship had been awarded to the Baramanza family thus angering
the other families that felt the decision was wrong.
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 is descended from the one of the founding chief’s brothers.
“The Nyakunhuwa clan
does hereby bring to your attention the stolen chieftainship by the Baramanza clan
in Zaka district through fraudulent means thereby depriving us our legitimate birthright.
“Nyakunhuwa derive 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. The wounds oozed an unbearable smell hence the moniker
Nyakunhuwa.
“Our forefather fought
and established his own territory hence it will be very unfair to share the
spoils with his brothers and cousins who did not even bother to partake in his
struggles,” reads part of the letter.
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 others such as Chakanyuka
and Chipato – are descended from Muyengwa and, therefore, have no legitimate
right to a ruling class established by Chamangwenjere.
“In the entire history
of the of this chieftainship, only the above mentioned sons have enjoyed turns
of the throne, this would be the first time our Chieftainship is being given to
a stranger,” reads the petition
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
families 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 said 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, implicating immediate former
DCC Ndeya Nyede.
TellZim News had not
managed to get Nyede’s side of the story by the time of publishing.
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.
