ZANU PF is headed for a collision course with traditionalists and chiefs in Matabeleland over its plans to conduct rituals at Matopos in Kezi.
The ruling party has invited King Munhumutapa born Timothy Chiminya and three other chiefs to conduct rituals at Matopos and Great Zimbabwe monuments.
In a letter addressed to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority dated July 10, Zanu PF asked for permission for the self-imposed king to conduct the rituals at two sites.
The letter does not specify why the ruling party needed to conduct the rituals and when.
Parks Authority director-general Fulton Mangwanya granted the chiefs the right to visit the two monuments for the rituals.
However, the planned rituals have torched a storm with chiefs in Matabeleland saying they were not consulted.
They also said the planned rituals were taboo.
“We haven’t been consulted, I just heard about it through the media,” Chief Dakamela said.
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“I don’t understand whether the Parks has the authority to allow such rituals to take place without consulting the locals.”
Chief Dakamela said the rituals cannot be done without consulting the local chiefs.
“Such things need a consensus as it can be a source of conflict,” he said.
“So it cannot happen without consulting the chiefs.”
He also said they do not recognise King Munhumutapa.
“As far as I am concerned, in Zimbabwe we don’t have a king. The constitution says so,” he said.
“The monarchy should not be seen as political.”
Chief Ndolwane said they felt culturally disrespected.
“And again our cultures are different,” he said.
“So the question to ask is; these rituals, which are going to be done in a place where his culture is different from that of locals, how is he going to conduct them?
“Why not consult with us and see if this works or not?
“Again there has never been one King for every tribe and culture. We don’t support it.”
Chief Masuku echoed the same frustrations over lack of consultations.
“Then again if you mix culture and westernisation, it doesn’t go well together,” he said.
“But then if you now bring your own tradition and rituals, you are spoiling for a conflict with the people’s culture.”
He also said they don’t recognise King Munhumutapa.
“We have a problem when he says he’s the king, whose king?
“We need clarity on exactly what is happening.”
Chief Tshitshi said the planned rituals are taboo and a sign of disrespect.
“I have never seen such and we don’t know that one can come and do as they please in one’s area. It’s actually a taboo,” he said.
“We don’t welcome such because they can’t do the rituals without consulting us, the community, the people…
“They could have engaged us.”
Historian Pathisa Nyathi said the planned rituals by King Munhumutapa raised eyebrows after the state denied the Ndebele clan an opportunity to restore their kingship.
“When we tried to install a Ndebele king, we were denied,” Nyathi said.
“I'm sure you remember that, the reasons were that we have a republican constitution that has no room for a monarchy.
“So if we allow some people to call themselves Mambo what what, it becomes problematic.”
Government challenged the revival of the Ndebele monarch as unconstitutional.
Ironically, the Lozwi clan was allowed to install Mike Moyo as king of the Mambo Dynasty in 2019 as part of an initiative to revive their kingship.
Lobengula was the last Ndebele King after a British Pioneer Column led by Cecil John Rhodes destroyed the Ndebele Kingdom in 1983.
Advocates of an Ndebele Kingship argue the matter does not need a constitutional provision as it is a traditional matter.
Turning to the planned rituals, Nyathi said they were weird.
“In Ndebele culture, a king would not go to a shrine,” he said.
“You send emissaries. A king can send messages to Njelele via emissaries.”
King Munhumutapa is currently locked in a legal dispute with the ministry of Justice that is challenging his Kingship.
He has, however, argued that Zanu PF acknowledged him as King Munhumutapa by using him to perform rituals for the ruling party.
The ministry says Chiminya’s claim to be King Munhumutapa was unconstitutional and a nullity.
The Local Government and Public Works ministry also issued a follow-up statement denouncing Chiminya as an impostor.
Chiminya has since sued the Local Government and Public Works ministry for US$100 000 over the statements.
King Munhumutapa, also known as Mwenemutapa, was the ruler of the ancient Kingdom of Mutapa sometimes referred to as the Mutapa Empire
