Chief Matibe officially installed

of Beitbridge East who died last year.

The new Chief Matibe was installed last Friday at a traditional ceremony held in line with the Vapfumbi traditions at Makothe village, 110 km east of Beitbridge town.
Elsh (43) went through full initiation processes for six months following the formal burial of his father in May this year.
The Matibe clan chieftaincy starts from Mutshila-wengwe, Nyangadzemhene, Madinginye Bvudzijena, Manoga, Pwasa, Chichewo and the current heir Elsh.

Beitbridge district has been operating without a chief following the death of Pariti Stauze of Beitbridge West and Chichewo Matibe of Beitbridge East.
The Stauze clan has however, been involved in a longstanding dispute over the chieftainship.

According to the Vapfumbi culture, the chief is kept in his bedroom hut for a year until his burial after 12 months.
In an interview, the late chief’s brother Joseph Matibe said Elsh was chosen among 16 other contenders to the throne.
“When we formally bury the late chief, we don’t just appoint the new heir, but we make his children queue and push the door to the bedroom hut where he had been lying in the last 12 months.

“Whoever manages to open the door will be initiated as the new chief.
“After which we take the chief’s remains and bury them in line with our traditions at our shrine at Malungudzi mountains.”
The installation was preceded by a traditional ceremony in the Matopo hills where the chief spent six months being initiated.

Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo presided over the chief’s installation programme.
Minister Chombo commended the Vapfumbi tribe for upholding their traditional values which he said had stood the test of time.

“Traditional leaders are the custodians of the people and they know their priority areas in terms of development hence the need for a synergy between them and all development partners.
“I would also want to urge traditional leaders to be pro-active in HIV and Aids intervention programmes” he said.

Minister Chombo challenged the community to pay up their development levies to local authorities.
The Beitbridge Rural District Council is owed over US$500 000 by members of the community in unpaid development levies across the district.

The ceremony was also attended by Mat South provincial Governor and Resident Minister Cde Angeline Masuku, Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi who is also Beitbridge East legislator, traditional leaders and several senior Government officials.