Murder clouds village leadership

Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A MUTASA man’s bid to become a village head has encountered an obstacle due to murder accusations being levelled against him by his relatives, prompting Chief Mutasa to suspend the appointment process.
This development emerged during a hearing at Chief Mutasa’s community court recently, where Headman Nyamaende had summoned his relatives – Enock and Charles Nyamaende – for undermining his authority by disrespecting him and Sabhuku Mamombe.
“Charles and Enock are masquerading as Headman Nyamaende. Whenever I instruct Mamombe to undertake community road maintenance works with his subjects, they bar people from participating.
“Furthermore, during funerals of members of our royal family, they prevent the grieving family from paying homage to me, claiming I am merely a nephew in the family.
“They also bar the village head from conducting the traditional maganzvo (rainmaking) ceremony, claiming they are in charge. They argue that there is no headman in their area. A villager once deliberately set fire on his homestead, and I summoned him to appear before my court, but they intervened again,” he said.
Charles and Enock denied the allegations, and argued that Mamombe is not part of their clan.
Apparently, Chief Mutasa ordered Mamombe to clear his name last year before assuming the role.
“The Mamombes have their area, and us the Nyamaendes have ours. We cannot allow Mamombe to encroach onto our territory. Chief Mutasa visited our area and told the villagers that Mamombe can only assume his official duties if cleared by the police,” explained Charles.
Tendai Mamombe, a brother to ‘Sabhuku’ Mamombe, who was being supported by Enock and Charles, said Chief Mutasa had directed Mamombe to undergo police vetting before being appointed substantive village head.
“Chief Mutasa addressed and ordered that my brother can only be appointed substantive village head after being cleared by the police,” said Tendai.
Mamombe informed the court that he was cleared by the criminal courts for allegedly murdering his grandfather.
He added that Chief Mutasa appointed him to the position, and thus, he was working with Headman Nyamaende.
“I was cleared of the allegations and told to return home. My relatives constantly accuse me of things I am unaware of. They once accused me of killing my own child, and I spent a year and seven months in remand prison. We have been performing maganzvo ceremonies since time immemorial. Enock and Charles are not following traditional rites, as they work on their fields on days meant for resting (chisi). They claim to be ‘machindas’, which is why they refuse to listen to me,” said Mamombe.
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Chief Mutasa ruled that Mamombe must provide evidence of being cleared by the courts, demonstrating that he has a clean record.
He added that Mamombe should cease performing his role until he satisfies Chief Mutasa that the murder charges against him were dropped.
“When I appointed Mamombe to lead the village, I later visited the village and learnt that he was being accused of murdering his grandfather.
“The allegations were being raised by his relatives. He defended himself, arguing that the matter was concluded by the courts and was acquitted.
“He promised to bring evidence, but has failed to do so up to this day. We cannot rely solely on your word; we require evidence. Courts issue written judgments upon concluding cases.
If the police found no evidence against you, obtain a written confirmation. We must ascertain whether you were acquitted or if the matter is still pending.
“Once we are satisfied that you have a clean record, you may resume your duties. We cannot have individuals with criminal records serving as traditional leaders. From today, you are ordered to cease performing your duties until you provide satisfactory evidence that you are fit and proper to lead others. The onus is on him to provide this evidence,” ruled Chief Mutasa.