Chief Mtshane Khumalo calls for swift handover of Certificates of Appointment

NATIONAL Chiefs Council of Zimbabwe president, Chief Mtshane Khumalo, has called for swift handover of Certificates of Appointment to traditional leaders to ensure they exercise their duties and preside over court cases within the confines of the law.

This follows the move by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to issue Certificates of Appointment to newly installed traditional chiefs.

The development grants them legal authority to preside over traditional court cases in their communities, maintain cultural heritage and perform administrative duties.

Chief Mtshane reflected on this during a recent handover ceremony of a Certificate of Appointment to newly installed traditional leader Chief Wonondo.

Born Misheck Magalela Hlabangana, Chief Wonondo was installed last year reviving a chieftainship that was abolished by the colonial government over 80 years ago, marking the official return of the Wonondo chieftainship, which was last recognised in 1944.

The handover of the Certificate of Appointment to the new chief together with that of Chief Mtshane Khumalo, which was renewed, was overseen by Inyathi resident magistrate Mr Itai Ayah Kagwere together with Bulawayo magistrate Temba Chimiso.

“We have cases where some chiefs have spent over 10 years presiding over traditional court cases without Certificates of Appointment and that is illegal in terms of the law,” said Chief Mtshane Khumalo.

He called upon traditional leaders to be well versed with instruments of the law to deliver fair and just judgments.

“We are trying as the National Chiefs Council to make sure when chiefs are installed they are well versed with the

National Traditional Leaders Act, the Zimbabwe Constitution and the Customary Law and Local Courts Act and that the law is on their side when they preside over traditional court cases,” said Chief Mtshane Khumalo.

“When a chief has not been issued with a Certificate of Appointment and villagers get to know about it they then dispute the outcomes of all the traditional court cases that the chief would have presided over by approaching the magistrates court. In such scenarios the magistrates courts will overturn such cases and dismiss the judgments made

the chief.”

Chief Mtshane Khumalo urged traditional chiefs and magistrates to work hand in hand and avoid unnecessary conflicts in the execution of their duties.

“I would like to call upon traditional chiefs and magistrates to work together in harmony. It’s unfortunate that we have situations where traditional chiefs and magistrates are always at loggerheads and we ask ourselves why it is like that,” said Chief Mtshane Khumalo.

He also thanked Inyathi magistrate Mr Kagwere for ensuring that Chief Wonondo received his Certificate of Appointment on time.

The new chief presides over Wards 5, 6, 19 and 21, which were previously under the jurisdiction of Chief Mtshane

Khumalo. The area is home to more than 11 000 families comprising Xhosa and Ndebele communities.

The history of the Wonondo Chieftainship goes back to the pre-colonial era. The original chieftainship hailed from the Induba area of Bubi, with its lineage believed to have been endorsed by King Lobengula.

The first recorded chief was Mlotha Hlabangana, who took the title in 1870. Upon his death, his son Lotshe succeeded him and ruled until 1888. Lotshe was succeeded by his son, also named Wonondo, who was officially installed in 1930.

However, due to clashes with the colonial government over land ownership under the Land Apportionment Act of 1930, Chief Wonondo became a thorn in the side of the settler regime.

In 1944, the colonial administration abolished the chieftainship and forcibly removed the chief from his land, relocating him and his followers to the area between Kenilworth and Bona Farms, near Bubi River.

He later died in 1946 in Lupane, under the jurisdiction of Chief Mabhikwa.
Since then, Bubi District has been overseen by a single traditional leader, Chief Mtshane Khumalo, who also serves as president of the National Council of Chiefs.

The process to restore the Wonondo chieftainship began in October 2017, when the Hlabangana (Wonondo) and Khumalo families met and agreed to revive the traditional leadership structure.

The Hlabangana family unanimously chose Misheck Magalela Hlabangana as heir to the throne. This move is in line with the Government initiative under the Second Republic, to restore abolished traditional institutions as a means of strengthening cultural heritage and governance.