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Chief Gampu probes Minister July Moyo over ban of Ndebele king coronation
14 Mar 2018 at 06:13hrs | Views
A Matabeleland Chief Gampu has probed the Minster of Local Government Public Works and National Housing July Moyo over the government's ban of the coronation of a Ndebele King which was slatted for march 3.
Cheif Gampu questioned the minister during senate in Harare.
"My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Hon. July Moyo. I am talking on behalf of the nature and I am representing the constituents from the constituency that I represent. Two weeks back there was King Lobengula who was supposed to be ordained and that did not take place because the Government said that should not happen. People obeyed the Government's resolution and the chief was not ordained," he said.
"People from my constituency still have questions that are the issue to do with ordaining chiefs a policy or it is only that it is not supposed to happen. If it is something that is not supposed to happen the Government should come out in open and say it to the people. If it is something that was supposed to be done and it was brought in a wrong way and the Government did not understand it, people are willing to understand from the Government."
"Us as Chiefs we are not willing to do something that is contravening Government policies. We are willing to work maintaining the peace that is there in the Government. We also take into consideration that it is not the first time to have chief, in South Africa we have Chief Zwelithini and Lizwelonke. In Zambia there is Chief Mpezeni and in the United States, there is a Queen."
He said all these are not fighting with the Government or trying to take power like what had almost happened.
"We are therefore asking the Government to advise, we do not want to be involved into issues that will give us problems later. We are also not in politics," he said.
In response minister Moyo said both parliament houses enacted a new Constitution.
"The Chiefs were participants in that Constitution making process. In our Constitution, it is very clear that the traditional leaders as defined in the Constitution are in three parts only, the first one is a chief, in Shona ndi mambo, in Ndebele Induna but in our Constitution it is the Chief. Then there is a headman and there is a village head. So, when people who wanted to have a King wrote to us, we advised that in our Constitution we have no provision for a King," he said.
"Fortunately, for us as Zimbabweans when South Africans were making their Constitution we participated in many ways and they put in their Constitution that they will have kings who are in their localities. We do not have that in Zimbabwe. So, our advice was that we cannot have a King where it is not provided for by law. Secondly, if you wanted a chief and there is a house which deserved to have a chief, they need to have one."
He said the Constitution went further and said to resuscitate a chieftainship, that job is no longer done by Government or through the Minister of Local Government, it is undertaken by the chiefs; organised in the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs in each province and later on in the National Council of Chiefs.
"Only after those two organs have pronounced themselves, they can then bring it to the Minister who then sends for approval by the President. That is what the Constitution says. So, again when this matter which we dealt with in Bulawayo last week, we went and invited all the chiefs from Matabeleland North, South, we could have invited every other chief who has an interest about this issue of Kings but we thought we were dealing with one region," he said.
"We took with us the President of the National Council of Chiefs and his deputy to explain to the chiefs. There are those who contest even the kingship, who ought to be a king but the chief's bodies, if they had wanted this matter solved, the place to go, in terms of the Constitution was to the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs and later on to the National Council of Chiefs. As it turned out anyway, even the question of who ought to be king was contested among the houses that claim that kingship."
"We as Ministers once a matter is before the courts, were obliged to withdraw and allowed the President of the Chief's Council, Senator Chief Charumbira and his deputy Senator Mtshane Khumalo to then finish the deliberations and explained. Once the court had pronounced itself, again we gave the President of the Chief's Council and his deputy to say please, let all the chiefs understand the ruling of the High court and withdraw from that position. However, the position that we are taking as Government; is a position that has been taken in the Constitution."
He said for instance, there are those who want to revive Munhumutapa, we do not have that emperor in the Constitution and we advised them accordingly.
"Last year, there were those who wanted to have a Rozvi King and we advised equally the same that we do not have that terminology in our Constitution. Until the Constitution has been amended accordingly, we cannot advice anybody contrary to what the Constitution says," he said.
Cheif Gampu questioned the minister during senate in Harare.
"My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Hon. July Moyo. I am talking on behalf of the nature and I am representing the constituents from the constituency that I represent. Two weeks back there was King Lobengula who was supposed to be ordained and that did not take place because the Government said that should not happen. People obeyed the Government's resolution and the chief was not ordained," he said.
"People from my constituency still have questions that are the issue to do with ordaining chiefs a policy or it is only that it is not supposed to happen. If it is something that is not supposed to happen the Government should come out in open and say it to the people. If it is something that was supposed to be done and it was brought in a wrong way and the Government did not understand it, people are willing to understand from the Government."
"Us as Chiefs we are not willing to do something that is contravening Government policies. We are willing to work maintaining the peace that is there in the Government. We also take into consideration that it is not the first time to have chief, in South Africa we have Chief Zwelithini and Lizwelonke. In Zambia there is Chief Mpezeni and in the United States, there is a Queen."
He said all these are not fighting with the Government or trying to take power like what had almost happened.
"We are therefore asking the Government to advise, we do not want to be involved into issues that will give us problems later. We are also not in politics," he said.
In response minister Moyo said both parliament houses enacted a new Constitution.
"The Chiefs were participants in that Constitution making process. In our Constitution, it is very clear that the traditional leaders as defined in the Constitution are in three parts only, the first one is a chief, in Shona ndi mambo, in Ndebele Induna but in our Constitution it is the Chief. Then there is a headman and there is a village head. So, when people who wanted to have a King wrote to us, we advised that in our Constitution we have no provision for a King," he said.
"Fortunately, for us as Zimbabweans when South Africans were making their Constitution we participated in many ways and they put in their Constitution that they will have kings who are in their localities. We do not have that in Zimbabwe. So, our advice was that we cannot have a King where it is not provided for by law. Secondly, if you wanted a chief and there is a house which deserved to have a chief, they need to have one."
He said the Constitution went further and said to resuscitate a chieftainship, that job is no longer done by Government or through the Minister of Local Government, it is undertaken by the chiefs; organised in the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs in each province and later on in the National Council of Chiefs.
"Only after those two organs have pronounced themselves, they can then bring it to the Minister who then sends for approval by the President. That is what the Constitution says. So, again when this matter which we dealt with in Bulawayo last week, we went and invited all the chiefs from Matabeleland North, South, we could have invited every other chief who has an interest about this issue of Kings but we thought we were dealing with one region," he said.
"We took with us the President of the National Council of Chiefs and his deputy to explain to the chiefs. There are those who contest even the kingship, who ought to be a king but the chief's bodies, if they had wanted this matter solved, the place to go, in terms of the Constitution was to the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs and later on to the National Council of Chiefs. As it turned out anyway, even the question of who ought to be king was contested among the houses that claim that kingship."
"We as Ministers once a matter is before the courts, were obliged to withdraw and allowed the President of the Chief's Council, Senator Chief Charumbira and his deputy Senator Mtshane Khumalo to then finish the deliberations and explained. Once the court had pronounced itself, again we gave the President of the Chief's Council and his deputy to say please, let all the chiefs understand the ruling of the High court and withdraw from that position. However, the position that we are taking as Government; is a position that has been taken in the Constitution."
He said for instance, there are those who want to revive Munhumutapa, we do not have that emperor in the Constitution and we advised them accordingly.
"Last year, there were those who wanted to have a Rozvi King and we advised equally the same that we do not have that terminology in our Constitution. Until the Constitution has been amended accordingly, we cannot advice anybody contrary to what the Constitution says," he said.
Source - Byo24News
