By Desire Tshuma
Harare — President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved the recall of Chief Fortune Charumbira, Chief Nhema and Chief Chitanga from the National Council of Chiefs, paving the way for their removal from the Senate.
The announcement was made in Harare on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, by the Permanent Secretary for Local Government and Public Works, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, during an interface meeting with Chairpersons of Provincial Assemblies of Chiefs, Local Government Services Directors and District Development Coordinators.
“His Excellency, through his wisdom and of course the minister, has written after consultation. On the 14th of September the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs in Masvingo met and deliberated and recalled three chiefs from the Senate, and as of this morning the President of the Senate has been served with papers by the Honourable Minister, and the President of the National Chiefs Council has also been served with the papers, and the chiefs themselves have been notified,” Muguti said.
“So it is with regret that Mambo Charumbira, Mambo Nhema and Mambo Chitanga have all been recalled from the Senate,” he added.
Chief Charumbira is the Deputy President of the National Council of Chiefs. Chief Nhema is Rangarirai Bwawanda of Zaka, and Chief Chitanga is Feleni Chauke of Mwenezi.
The recall followed a recommendation by the Masvingo Provincial Chiefs Assembly, which passed a vote of no confidence against the trio for allegedly undermining presidential authority.
The vote took place on 14 September at Clever’s Hotel on the shores of Lake Mutirikwi. According to reports, 42 traditional chiefs voted to recall the trio, while three voted against the move. bca8
Assembly chairperson Chief Serima, Vengesai Rushwaya, confirmed the development, saying the three had been recommended for recall primarily for undermining the President. He accused them of opposing President Mnangagwa when he restored chieftainships that were banished during the colonial period, and of refusing to attend installation ceremonies for the newly resuscitated chieftainships.
“We have resolved that Chiefs Charumbira, Nhema and Chitanga be recalled and we have written to the Minister and also Parliament for them to be recalled primarily for undermining the President,” Chief Serima said.
Chief Chitanga confirmed the vote. “Yes, we have been booted out. Forty-two out of forty-five chiefs voted in favour of the motion,” he said.
The motion was moved by Chief Nemanwa, Fungai Manjiva, whose jurisdiction includes Great Zimbabwe and who was only appointed chief last month.
The meeting was attended by Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira, and ZANU PF provincial chairman Rabson Mavenyengwa, a presence that has intensified questions over whether the vote was purely an internal leadership decision or part of a broader political campaign.
The recall comes amid a wider political battle over President Mnangagwa’s constitutional changes and loyalty within ZANU PF. Constitutional Amendment No. 3 extended Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 and scrapped the direct election of the president in favour of a joint vote by MPs and senators, increasing the political importance of the Senate and the chiefs’ seats in the chamber.
Under the Constitution, 16 chiefs, two from each of the eight non-metropolitan provinces, are elected to the Senate. The president and deputy president of the National Council of Chiefs also sit in the Senate ex officio, giving traditional leaders a guaranteed 18 seats in the 90-member chamber.
National Council of Chiefs president Chief Mtshane Khumalo told the Masvingo Mirror that he was not aware of the recalls as he was out of office, but said it would be disastrous if they were approved.
Charumbira, a former president of the council, has for years been one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent and controversial traditional leaders. He previously served as President of the Pan-African Parliament and has been accused by critics of acting as a political figure rather than a neutral traditional leader, a charge his supporters reject. He has not publicly responded in detail to the recall allegations.
Muguti said the formal removal process would now proceed through the relevant legal channels, after which elections would be held to select replacements for the three Senate seats.