Chief Nhema’s throne challenged

Nhema and Cephas Manunure, say the Nhema chieftainship should rotate between the Masikati, Zizhiri, Toyiseyo, Matsika and Tavengerwei families.
The incumbent chief Nhema Ran­ganai Bwawanda who they are con­testing is cited the first respondent together with the district administra­tor of Zaka, the provincial administra­tor of Masvingo, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minis­ter Ignatius Chombo and President Mugabe.
The applicants are being repre­sented by Gutu and Chikowero while Mr James Makiya of Mambosasa Legal Practitioners is representing chief Nhema. 
The incumbent chief Nhema, who has won previous court applications challenging his chieftainship by the same applicants, has filed papers con­firming that he would appear to defend the aspiring chief’s claims.
In their founding affidavit the four applicants say the last chief Nhema was Bwawanda Matande who ruled from 1988 to 2005 when he died.
“He hailed from the Tavengerwei house, being the second chief Nhema to be provided by this house. The first defendant (Chief Nhema Ranganai Bwawanda) is his biological son, whose term as acting chief Nhema has expired.
“The only eligible houses in the race to provide a candidate for appoint­ment as chief Nhema are the Zishiri and Toyiseyo houses headed by Manunure and Mbwende respec­tively,” they submitted.
The applicants say during the Nhema chieftainship succession meetings held in Zaka in August 2010 the respondents deviated from the prevailing customary principles of succession of the Nhema Clan in selecting the Tavengerwei house with the turn to provide the substantive chief and in selecting Ranganai Bwawanda as the candidate proposed for appointment as chief Nhema.
They argue that Minister Chombo did not give due consideration to the prevailing customary principles of succession to the Nhema chieftainship before making recommendations to President Mugabe.
The four applicants are seeking an order to cancel the selection made on August 2010 at Nhema Secondary School in Zaka District in which Bwawanda family was chosen to pro­vide the chief.
They also want the selection Ran­ganai Bwawanda as chief to be nulli­fied and that another meeting to select a chief be held.