Stephen Chadenga
Chirumanzu chieftainship aspirant Julius Chimbi Chigegwe has upped his fight to the High Court to reclaim the Chirumanzu chieftainship which he says was wrongly bestowed on Abraham Nyamande.
Nyamande has been embroiled in a controversial nomination procedure that saw him chosen as the candidate and subsequently installed as Chief Chirumanzu.
“l Julius Chimbi Chigegwe be and hereby appointed as the substantive Chief Chirumanzu,”Chigegwe declared in his application.
“The appointment of Abraham Nyamande made in terms of Traditional Leaders Act chapter 29:17 be nullified.”
“The applicant was nominated by appropriate persons as substantive Chief before the expiration of the two year period as stipulated in the Act.
“Both 1st and 2nd (Local Government minister Daniel Garwe and Midlands provincial chiefs assembly) respectively violated the law when they purported and convened a meeting on June 6 2024 for the nomination of a Chief when such an appointment had already been done on April 6 2024 in terms of the law.
“Whereof 1st and 2nd respondents therefore lacked jurisdiction to put in place for the nomination of a Chief this they acted unprovedurally and unlawfully.”
Chigegwe cited serious irregularities that failed to meet criteria in the nomination of Nyamande.
“People are not installed in chieftainship positions on the basis of buying each other,”Chigegwe said in an interview.
“The Chirumanzu chieftainship lineage is very clear on who should be next and the Nherera family should assume that role. To pretend otherwise is sheer malice and would not resolve the chieftainship dispute. I would fight to my coffin to see to it that l retain the throne.”
Minutes of documents viewed by this publication show that the Chirumanzu chieftainship clan had agreed that Chimbi Chigegwe was going to be the next Chirumanzu Chief.
Nyamande was last month installed as Chief Chirumanzu despite a pending High Court order HCH920/25 which challenged his nomination.
The bone of contention in the High Court application is that the respondents including Local Government minister Daniel Garwe, the Midlands provincial chiefs assembly and Nyamande failed to exercise due diligence in the selection and nomination procedure for the next heir to the Chirumanzu chieftainship.
Minutes of meetings held in October 2020 seen by this publication show that the Nherera and Mutizirapi houses agreed and selected Julius Chimbi Chigegwe as the next heir to the Chirumanzu chieftainship.
According to the documents their argument is that over the years the Nherera house has had few chances to the chieftainship hence in the spirit of fairness nominated Chigegwe to be the next Chief Chirumanzu.