Zanu-PF senior official trying to wrestle the Mubaiwa headmanship

MASHONALAND East Governor Cde Aeneas Chigwedere is trying to wrestle the Mubaiwa headmanship from Hwedza villager Mr Raines Chadoka, the High Court heard yesterday. The court heard that Chigwedere did not belong to the Mubaiwa clan.

He allegedly imposed himself on the Mubaiwa people without following the traditional family tree.

Testifying during the civil trial in which Mr Chadoka is challenging the appointment of Chigwedere, Mr Alifonso Rwavi said Acting Chief Svosve â€" in agreement with the responsible district administrator â€" did not consult the family members.

Harare lawyer Mr Maxwell Mavhunga of Mavhunga and Sigauke, who is representing the Chadoka family, led evidence from Mr Rwavi before High Court judge Justice Andrew Mutema.   

Mr Rwavi said Governor Chigwedere did not belong to the Mubaiwa family and he was not the right person to be appointed headman.

He said the governor was trying to wrestle the headmanship from the Mubaiwa family.

Although the governor's family and that of the Chadokas share the same great grandparents, Mr Rwavi said the name Mubaiwa was earned by Munzverengwi (of the Chadoka side) after he bravely sacrificed to protect the Hwedza Mountain and its wealth from enemies. Only the descendants of Munzverengwi were legible for the Mubaiwa headmanship.

Governor Chigwedere, according to Mr Rwavi, belonged to the Chipango family.

His family had on several occasions tried to wrestle the headmanship from the descendants of Muzverengwi (Mubaiwa).

"Before we conducted the 'kurova guva' ceremony for the late headman Mubaiwa, we were pushed into a gathering for the nomination of Chigwedere," said Mr Rwavi.

"We requested that we inform (Chief) Bernard Svosve that it was too early, but he told us that the appointment was long overdue and it had to be done.

"On the meeting day, he (Chief Svosve) told us that Chigwedere was already there and our attempt to challenge the nomination was quashed."

Mr Rwavi added that the district administrator said anyone dissatisfied with the nomination was free to visit whatever office.

"We argued that Chigwedere was not a member of the Mubaiwa clan and we proposed Mr Raines Chadoka. When we registered our disapproval, Chief Bernard Svosve threatened to fine us," said Mr Rwavi.

"We were pushed into quickly accepting Chigwedere as substantive headman because the appointment was long overdue, but Bernard Svosve himself has been in an acting capacity for seven years. The then acting headman Mubaiwa had only stayed for close to two years.

"Headman Makwarimba and Chigodora have also served in acting capacities for more than two years, but they have not been pushed like us.

"It looks like it is now the Government that tells us what to do without our contribution.  When I say Government, I mean the district administrator and Governor Chigwedere who was once a Minister.

"Such people are untouchable and that is why we have sought protection from the courts," said Mr Rwavi.

The court also heard that the documents relied upon by Chigwedere in proving that the Mubaiwa headmanship rotates within the Munzverengwi and the Chipango families could have been tampered with.

Mr Rwavi said the members of the Munzverengwi family had over the years been denied access to the documents kept at the district administrator's office.

He dismissed the contents of some of the documents as false history suggesting that they could have been doctored.

The trial started yesterday after Justice Mutema threw out Governor Chigwedere's preliminary objection in which he sought to convince the court that it was not peremptory for the chief to follow the family tree when nominating a headman.

Masawi and Partners are acting for Chigwedere.

The dispute started when Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo crowned Governor Chigwedere as headman Mubaiwa following his nomination by Chief Svosve.