Chief Chirumanzu installation stopped

The installation of Abraham Nyamande as the substantive Chief Chirumanzu, initially scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed pending the outcome of a High Court application challenging his appointment.

Nyamande is currently embroiled in a dispute with other candidates who contend that his nomination was irregular and that he is not the rightful successor to the Chirumanzu chieftainship.

Cuthbert Jumo Bangure, a leader of one of the Chirumanzu clan sub-houses, attributed the postponement to government budget constraints. Speaking in an audio message shared on a WhatsApp group dedicated to the Chirumanzu chieftainship and development, Bangure said, "I regret to inform you that the installation of the 18th Chief Chirumanzu scheduled for May 29 has been postponed. Government will advise us of the new date, but at the moment it still has to provide the resources to fund the ceremony. Government said when the Ministry of Finance gets the necessary financial resources, it will advise us on the new date."

However, the High Court has scheduled to hear the dispute under case number HCH920/25 on June 9, 2025. The applicants in the case are John Marinda, Innocent Chapwanya, Albert Jonasi Zvidzai, and Ecknos Happiness Mutyanda. The respondents named are the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, the Midlands Provincial Chiefs' Assembly, and Nyamande himself.

A court notice dated May 13, 2025, states: "Take notice that the above court application will be heard and determined physically by the High Court of Zimbabwe at Harare before Honourable Justice Dembure J on Monday the 9th day of June 2025 at 09:00 or soon thereafter as counsel may be heard."

The crux of the legal challenge is the claim that the respondents did not follow due diligence in the selection and nomination process for the next chief.

In March this year, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe maintained that due process was followed in nominating Nyamande. He explained that the Nherera house was the last to provide a candidate for the chieftainship, referring to the late Chief Gerald Mudzengi, and that it was now the Simba house's turn to assume the throne in the spirit of rotation.

Minutes from meetings held in October 2020, seen by this publication, reveal that the Nherera and Mutizirapi houses had selected Julius Chimbi Chigegwe as the next heir to the Chirumanzu chieftainship. The applicants argue that, over the years, the Nherera house has had fewer opportunities to the chieftaincy, and therefore, in the spirit of fairness, Chigegwe is the rightful candidate for the throne.

The High Court ruling on June 9 will be pivotal in settling the dispute surrounding the rightful successor to the Chirumanzu chieftainship.