Stephen Chadenga
Battle lines have been drawn after the Chirumanzu royal family objected to the appointment of Dickson Mudzengi as Chief of the Chirumanzu Resettlement Area.
Last week officials from the Midlands provincial chiefs council and government officials reportedly met at Mudzengi’s homestead at Chizhou in Muzeza Village to conduct the process of installing Mudzengi as a the traditional leader of the Chirumanzu Resettlement belt.
But in an urgent petition dated July 28, gleaned by The Blast, the royal family objected to the visit by the chiefs council as well as the proposed installation of Mudzengi as unprocedural and a mockery of the Chirumanzu chieftainship.
“We the undersigned write on behalf of the two principal royal houses of the Chirumanzu chieftainship, the Nherera House and the Simba House,”reads part of the petition signed by Joseph Toindepi, a representative of the Nherera House and Cuthbert Chilimanzi, representative of the Simba House, written to chairperson and members, Midlands provincial chiefs council and copied to chairperson, national chiefs council, Local Government Minister, Daniel Garwe, Midlands provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube, Chief Chirumanzu, Abraham Marufu Nyamandi, DDC Mvuma, Local Government permanent secretary and Kufaruwenga, Kajevu and Zihanzu legal practitioners.
“Together we are the constitutional custodians of the Chirumanzu chieftainship and the lineage bearers of Chief Chirumanzu Mhepo, the founding Chief of the Chirumanzu people.
“We have been informed without prior notice and without any agenda having been communicated to us that the provincial chiefs council intends to visit Chirumanzu on 30 July 2026. We are deeply concerned and state this without equivocation that the purpose of this unannounced meeting may be to conduct or advance a selection process for the appointment of Dickson Mudzengi as Chief over the area described in General Notice 117 of 2026, published in Government Gazette, Extraordinary dated 27 February 2026.”
The royal family contented that it had made objections to the General Notice, non of which has been acted upon.
“Not a single one of these formal objections has been acted upon, acknowledged substantively or resolved,”submitted the royal family.
“This honourable council is therefore not in a position to proceed with any selection meeting or process and any such meeting held before these objections are properly considered would be procedurally irregular, unlawful and in breach of the constitutional rights of the Chirumanzu royal families.
In the joint session meeting, the Nherera and Simba Houses made six resolutions including the unanimous re-affirmation of opposition to General Notice 117 of 2026, rejection of Dickson Mudzengi’s claim as the candidate for any chieftainship over the Chirumanzu resettlement areas, re-affirmation of General Notice 105/2017 as the lawful governing instrument, demand for a lawful customary process, rejection of unlawful governance structures and distribution and immediate serving of the resolutions to relevant authorities.