News / National
Village heads picket Mnangagwa ally's office
29 Aug 2018 at 06:57hrs | Views
THE dispute over the appointment and proposed installation of Chief Bere yesterday took another twist after clansmen Chief Zimuto and Chief Charumbira picketed the Provincial Affairs minister Josiah Hungwe's office, before leaving a petition with their grievances in which they accused Zanu PF provincial chair and Masvingo West legislator, Ezra Chadzamira, of backing the Bere clan.
The Local Government ministry endorsed the appointment and proposed installation of Chief Bere, born Phineas Tafirei, despite a High Court interdict. Laywers of Chief Zimuto and other rivals have since written to the ministry to block the move.
Yesterday, hordes of village heads from Charumbira and Zimuto jurisdiction upped the ante and petitioned Hungwe's office, accusing Chadzamira of sponsoring Bere's appointment as a way of frustrating them.
Part of the petition read: "The Charumbira clan has been loyal to government as well as to the ruling Zanu PF party since independence. The clan never enjoyed the privilege of its people leading themselves. There have been people from other areas leading them as MPs, and we did not complain and this time these same people have gone further to try to take over our chieftainship.
"The interests of some politician who wants to create a new chieftainship of his choice to support his long stay in politics should not be allowed to happen to us. We are not against the Bere people to be given their chieftainship, but we do not want them to be allocated our ancestral land.
"We, therefore, ask your good office to intervene and correct the situation to the best of your knowledge since you have been in the district as well as the province for a long time."
Called for comment yesterday, Chadzamira denied interfering in the dispute.
"I am not the one who appoints chiefs, how can I interfere. I do not know anything about that," he said.
The Local Government ministry endorsed the appointment and proposed installation of Chief Bere, born Phineas Tafirei, despite a High Court interdict. Laywers of Chief Zimuto and other rivals have since written to the ministry to block the move.
Yesterday, hordes of village heads from Charumbira and Zimuto jurisdiction upped the ante and petitioned Hungwe's office, accusing Chadzamira of sponsoring Bere's appointment as a way of frustrating them.
Part of the petition read: "The Charumbira clan has been loyal to government as well as to the ruling Zanu PF party since independence. The clan never enjoyed the privilege of its people leading themselves. There have been people from other areas leading them as MPs, and we did not complain and this time these same people have gone further to try to take over our chieftainship.
"The interests of some politician who wants to create a new chieftainship of his choice to support his long stay in politics should not be allowed to happen to us. We are not against the Bere people to be given their chieftainship, but we do not want them to be allocated our ancestral land.
"We, therefore, ask your good office to intervene and correct the situation to the best of your knowledge since you have been in the district as well as the province for a long time."
Called for comment yesterday, Chadzamira denied interfering in the dispute.
"I am not the one who appoints chiefs, how can I interfere. I do not know anything about that," he said.
Source - newsday
