News / National
Mberengwa family loses chieftainship wrangle
24 May 2017 at 06:52hrs | Views
THE High Court has dismissed as "frivolous and mischievous" an application filed by two Mberengwa villagers challenging the appointment of Timothy Moyo as Chief Negove.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese said the application by Lovemore Zvoushe and Lenathi Moyo had no legal basis since the two, who are members of the Negove clan, had attended a family gathering which approved the appointment of Moyo as the substantive chief.
In their application, Zvoushe and Moyo had cited Rural Development, Preservation of National Culture and Heritage minister Abednicho Ncube, Midlands provincial leader of the assembly of chiefs, former director in charge of traditional leaders, Fanuel Mukwaira, and Moyo as respondents.
The duo claimed Moyo had been erroneously selected to assume the chieftainship.
"I must hasten to clarify that in terms of customary principles of succession applicable to chieftainship, the three families (Chedare, Mateveke and Nehundi) are supposed to make turns to assume the chieftainship," Zvoushe submitted.
"The post of Chief Negove in Mberengwa became vacant in 2012 after the death of Manyungati Moyo of Mateveke family. Manyungati had taken over chieftainship from Thomas Zivurawa of Chedare family, which is the first respondent's family,".
"According to the settled principle of our custom, the next family that is supposed to succeed Mateveke family is Nehundi family."
He said on March 19 2015, Mukwaira invited all three families to a meeting at Mbuyanehanda High School Mberengwa to make consultations over Manyungati Moyo's successor.
Zvoushe added that at the meeting, representatives of the Nehundi and Mateveke families expressed their reservations over Moyo's appointment, but were outvoted.
He accused government officials of ignoring their appeals, culminating in the installation of Moyo as Chief Negove in 2015.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese said the application by Lovemore Zvoushe and Lenathi Moyo had no legal basis since the two, who are members of the Negove clan, had attended a family gathering which approved the appointment of Moyo as the substantive chief.
In their application, Zvoushe and Moyo had cited Rural Development, Preservation of National Culture and Heritage minister Abednicho Ncube, Midlands provincial leader of the assembly of chiefs, former director in charge of traditional leaders, Fanuel Mukwaira, and Moyo as respondents.
The duo claimed Moyo had been erroneously selected to assume the chieftainship.
"I must hasten to clarify that in terms of customary principles of succession applicable to chieftainship, the three families (Chedare, Mateveke and Nehundi) are supposed to make turns to assume the chieftainship," Zvoushe submitted.
"The post of Chief Negove in Mberengwa became vacant in 2012 after the death of Manyungati Moyo of Mateveke family. Manyungati had taken over chieftainship from Thomas Zivurawa of Chedare family, which is the first respondent's family,".
"According to the settled principle of our custom, the next family that is supposed to succeed Mateveke family is Nehundi family."
He said on March 19 2015, Mukwaira invited all three families to a meeting at Mbuyanehanda High School Mberengwa to make consultations over Manyungati Moyo's successor.
Zvoushe added that at the meeting, representatives of the Nehundi and Mateveke families expressed their reservations over Moyo's appointment, but were outvoted.
He accused government officials of ignoring their appeals, culminating in the installation of Moyo as Chief Negove in 2015.
Source - newsday
