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Murewa district to get three more government appointed chiefs
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The government plans to appoint three additional chiefs in Murewa district, Mashonaland East, to curb corruption and improve governance in the vast district currently under the sole jurisdiction of Chief Mangwende, real name Morgan Taaziva Gatsi.
Murewa once had four traditional leaders, but three were dissolved during the colonial era, leaving Chief Mangwende to oversee the entire district. Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe told a recent Zanu PF inter-district meeting that the new appointments aim to resuscitate the previously abolished chieftainships and ease the administrative burden on the incumbent.
"The addition of these chiefs will be instrumental in building a prosperous Murewa and contributing to Vision 2030," Garwe said.
The decision follows a government investigation into allegations that Chief Mangwende's steering committee was acting independently, installing village heads and headmen in resettlement areas without his knowledge. The committee, led by Franklin Mukarakate and Edmore Mangwende, has been accused of bypassing proper traditional procedures.
A six-member Local Government team recommended dividing the current Mangwende chieftainship into four, reviving the Bandakamwe RaGatsi and Nyagwizu Chikonamombe Dzete chieftainships. The report highlighted the challenges faced by the population of 205,440 people, noting that residents must often travel long distances and incur significant costs to access the chief's services.
"The cost factor is deterrent enough for Murewa people to access legal justice from the chief's local court," the report read, warning that centralizing authority had fueled corruption among headmen and village heads, particularly in land allocations.
Murewa district, covering 3,554 square kilometres with 30 wards and 336 villages, is the province's second-largest in population and largest in area. The report's recommendations were endorsed by the National Chiefs Council in September 2017, paving the way for the installation of the three new chieftainships.
Murewa once had four traditional leaders, but three were dissolved during the colonial era, leaving Chief Mangwende to oversee the entire district. Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe told a recent Zanu PF inter-district meeting that the new appointments aim to resuscitate the previously abolished chieftainships and ease the administrative burden on the incumbent.
"The addition of these chiefs will be instrumental in building a prosperous Murewa and contributing to Vision 2030," Garwe said.
The decision follows a government investigation into allegations that Chief Mangwende's steering committee was acting independently, installing village heads and headmen in resettlement areas without his knowledge. The committee, led by Franklin Mukarakate and Edmore Mangwende, has been accused of bypassing proper traditional procedures.
A six-member Local Government team recommended dividing the current Mangwende chieftainship into four, reviving the Bandakamwe RaGatsi and Nyagwizu Chikonamombe Dzete chieftainships. The report highlighted the challenges faced by the population of 205,440 people, noting that residents must often travel long distances and incur significant costs to access the chief's services.
"The cost factor is deterrent enough for Murewa people to access legal justice from the chief's local court," the report read, warning that centralizing authority had fueled corruption among headmen and village heads, particularly in land allocations.
Murewa district, covering 3,554 square kilometres with 30 wards and 336 villages, is the province's second-largest in population and largest in area. The report's recommendations were endorsed by the National Chiefs Council in September 2017, paving the way for the installation of the three new chieftainships.
Source - Newsday
