Chief Murinye expels 3 village heads

Chief Murinye, born Ephias Munodawafa, has expelled three village heads from his jurisdiction, accusing them of being too closely aligned with veteran educationist and businessman Philimon Mutangiri.

The affected traditional leaders are Headman Makuwe, Machingura and Mukamwe.

One of the suspended village heads, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, claimed the decision was politically motivated.

"We have been suspended from serving as village heads by Chief Murinye for being aligned to Mr Mutangiri. We paid huge sums of money and cattle for us to be installed, but we were only told that we are no longer village heads because of our alignment to the businessman," he said.

Chief Murinye confirmed the suspensions in a telephone interview but declined to provide further details.

"Yes, that is the development, but it's an internal issue which is not meant for the media," he said.

The fallout comes amid simmering tensions between the traditional leader and Mutangiri following a dispute at Riverton Extension Murinye School, where the chief allegedly temporarily blocked access to the institution. The incident reportedly triggered a string of legal battles between the two parties.

Court cases have followed, with Chief Murinye said to have summoned Mutangiri to his traditional court, although those efforts were unsuccessful.

The expulsions are likely to deepen divisions within the community, as questions arise over the intersection of traditional authority, personal disputes and local governance.