Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza [email protected]
IT was an unusually busy Saturday morning at Tatazela Hall in Inyathi, Matabeleland North Province, as villagers gathered outside the community building waiting for a traditional court session to begin.
About 60 villagers sat in the winter sun, some chatting quietly while others spoke in small groups, their voices low as they waited for the doors to open. There was a clear sense of tension in the air, a sign that serious matters were about to be heard before Chief Mtshane Khumalo’s traditional court.
Tatazela Hall is normally a quiet place on Saturdays, mostly used for church services or community meetings.
However, on this occasion it had taken on a very different role, serving as a courtroom where villagers sought justice and the resolution of disputes affecting their daily lives.
Chief Mtshane Khumalo, who is also the president of the National Chiefs Council of Zimbabwe, presides over a large jurisdiction covering 19 wards in Bubi District. As a traditional leader, part of his responsibility is to hear cases brought before him by villagers and to resolve disputes in line with customary law.
Before proceedings began, Chief Mtshane Khumalo told Zimpapers in an interview that chiefs are required to possess a legal document known as a Certificate of Appointment before they can preside over cases.
He explained that the certificates are issued by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to newly appointed chiefs and are renewed for those already in office to ensure that proceedings are conducted lawfully and that rulings are legally recognised.
Flanked by two assessors, Chief Mtshane Khumalo then entered Tatazela Hall, prompting everyone present to rise as a sign of respect for the traditional court officials. Shortly afterwards, proceedings began, with three cases scheduled to be heard during the day.
The first matter brought before the court involved a couple, Thulani Dube and Nobuhle Tshuma, who were accused of insulting their neighbours, Sibongile Nxumalo and Blessing Khumalo, before allegedly attacking their cow with an axe.
The incident is said to have followed a dispute over cattle that had strayed into a maize field.
The court heard that the complainants’ cattle had wandered into the accused persons’ field, damaging crops.
Nxumalo and Khumalo said after the incident, they approached their neighbours to apologise and discuss compensation, but the situation quickly turned hostile.
Chief Mtshane Khumalo noted that the case was a continuation of an earlier hearing held on May 12, 2026 before calling the complainants to give their evidence. The two women told the court that they were seeking US$400 as compensation for the injured cow, along with the US$20 court fee.
“We don’t dispute that our cattle entered their maize field and destroyed their crops but we went to Thulani and Nobuhle’s homestead to apologise. We also asked if we could ask an agricultural extension officer to assess the damage caused by our cattle for compensation but our neighbours would have none of it. “They both insulted us with vulgar words that we are too embarrassed to repeat in this court and Thulani told us that he would seek his own form of justice so we were not surprised when one of our cows was axed on one of its legs the following day,” said Nxumalo.
Khumalo also gave evidence, repeating similar claims of insults and threats during the confrontation.
The complainants then called a witness, elderly villager Phephelakhe Khabo, who said the dispute drew her attention and prompted her to intervene.
“I consider the accused and complainants my children by virtue of being an elderly villager. So, I walked to Thulani and Nobuhle’s homestead to try and get them to sit down and resolve the issue amicably after I heard them shouting at each other.
“Thulani was so angry that he didn’t even want to listen to me and continued shouting profanities. When I tried to restrain him, he turned on me and also insulted me. It was an ugly scene seeing one neighbour hauling insults at his fellow neighbours. His wife Nobuhle also joined in the insults and that’s when I decided to leave,” testified Khabo.
When it was their turn to respond, the accused denied some of the allegations of verbal abuse. However, Thulani Dube did not give a clear explanation as to how the complainants’ cow sustained a deep wound shortly after he was alleged to have issued threats.
“Some of the insults that they accuse me and my wife of shouting at them are not true. We are neighbour’s and I don’t think I could have said some of those words even though I was angry,” he said.
Both parties were then asked to step outside the courtroom while Chief Mtshane Khumalo and his assessors considered the matter.
After deliberating for a considerable time, the traditional court found the accused guilty and ordered them to pay either a cow or US$400 in compensation, as well as covering the court costs.
Even after the matter had been concluded, the day’s work was far from over for Chief Mtshane Khumalo and his assessors, with two more disputes still waiting to be heard at the traditional court.
