CHIEF Clayton Zimunya has cracked the whip, and relieved maverick Headman Chengetai Chigodora of his traditional leadership duties with immediate effect, following a slew of allegations of misconduct by the community and expiry of his acting tenure of two years.
In an interview on Tuesday, Chief Zimunya confirmed the latest move, adding that an assortment of allegations of misconduct against the traditional leader, prompted him to flex his muscle.
He also so said Mr Chigodora was not substantive, and his extended tenure as acting headman had lapsed.
Chief Zimunya said Mr Chigodora had exceeded his acting term by two years in contravention of the Traditional Leaders Act.
“Despite the expiry of his tenure, an avalanche of complaints from hundreds of subjects whose cases he was handling, despite them being above his jurisdiction, led to his immediate dismissal. I have always advised my headmen to prioritise the well-being of their communities, but it seemed he failed to take heed of my advice,” said Chief Zimunya, adding that Mr Chigodora was being accused of coercing community members into consulting traditional healers, often against their cultural and religious beliefs.
He was also allegedly connived with some of the traditional healers to extort money from innocent community members.
“We recognise freedom of worship in this country, but that was not the case with him. Mr Chigodora disregarded that right, and people complained that he had syndicates of traditional healers he was working with to fleece them of huge amounts of money. His subjects complained that they were duped of thousands of dollars of their hard-earned foreign currency. Their voices were not being heard, rendering them powerless to speak out due to fear of victimisation as most of their cases were pending before his court,” said Chief Zimunya.
Another major issue raised by Chief Zimunya was Mr Chigodora’s foray into social media, where he reportedly used his own YouTube channel to broadcast proceedings at his court.
Chief Zimunya said he had repeatedly warned his headman against such practice, but he remained defiant.
“I told him to choose between being a traditional leader and a social media influencer. Social media has its merits and demerits, especially in the preservation of our customs. However, his actions undermined the impartiality of his court. I cautioned him that his platform would lead to biased rulings, but he could not listen. He persisted, which to me meant that he had chosen to be a social media influencer instead of a traditional leader,” said Chief Zimunya.
Chief Zimunya clarified that four of his five headmen — Chigodora, Nyamana, Munyoro and Chitiyo — have been acting for more than the stipulated two years.
He has stripped them of their powers, and barred them from convening their courts to preside over matters.
Chief Zimunya has since repossessed their traditional paraphernalia such as knobkerries, badges and official stamps, among others.
“The only substantive headman serving under my chieftaincy is Headman Nyakunu, and the other four affected families will now have to follow their traditional customs to select substantive traditional leaders.
“Until then, all the unresolved cases, especially those involving avenging spirits and witchcraft, will be handled by my court henceforth,” he said.
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Mr Chigodora denied having been relieved of his duties as a headman.
He insisted that he remains the acting headman of his people.
“I do not know what you are talking about. Where did you get that? Go back to the person who gave you that information, and maybe he will furnish you with the finer details. I will not comment on that because all I know is that my court is not sitting because we are in November. Our tradition and customs regard it as taboo to conduct court sessions in November. However, my court will resume in December,” he said.
Mr Chigodora accused The Manica Post of tarnishing his good image and reputation.
“Am I the only traditional leader in Zimbabwe who is newsworthy? Why do you keep calling me to respond to rumours, is that journalism? You are working with someone to fight me right?” he said.
Among many other allegations, aggrieved families accused Mr Chigodora of imposing exorbitant charges as well as forcing them to consult his preferred traditional healers.
Mr Shepherd Rusanga, whose case remains unresolved, claimed that his family was asked to raise US$9 000 to appease an avenging spirit in Gweru.
“We are still trying to raise the money. We were told it covers appeasement and consultation fees with a traditional healer,” said Mr Rusanga.
However, such practices violate the Traditional Leaders Act, which prohibits transferring cases from a higher to a lower court.
The Constitution also limits headmen’s authority to settling disputes involving fines of up to two cattle, leaving more severe cases for chiefs.
Senator Chief Mutasa weighed in on the controversy, warning traditional leaders against acting outside their legal limits.
“If a headman behaves this way, they must be reprimanded. No headman should impose penalties beyond two cattle. Anything above that must be referred to the chief’s court. Operating outside the law, not only undermines our traditions, but also constitutes fraud,” said Chief Mutasa.- Manica Post
