THE dismissal of three village heads by Chief Dambisamahubo Mafu in Chetumbu under Insiza district, Matabeleland South recently has alarmed locals in the area.
Mafu was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the substantive Chief Maduna last year.
He replaced his father Chief Vezi Maduna Mafu who died at the age of 85 in February 2021.
Villagers raised concerns over the recent demotion of their village heads, calling it “a rapid institutional inertia”.
A villager from Chetumbu area, Trust Malunga, accused one senior village head, Anton Msimanga, of making false reports to the Chief to soil the image of his colleagues resulting in their dismissal.
“We believe that one of the senior village heads in the area is primarily to blame for the demotion of four village heads, as he goes to the chief and spreads unfounded rumours about other village heads,” Malunga said.
“The chief is oblivious to the issue at hand and is concentrating on unrelated topics for the benefit of the villagers.
“We don’t know about other village heads that might have been removed in other areas but as for our area, it is a very serious matter to us.”
- Uproar over village heads dismissal
Keep Reading
A villager from Silengane area, Mandlenkosi Sibanda said the recent demotion of their village heads had to be reconsidered.
“The Chief should remove the senior village head because he is the one violating us, why is he not demoting him but demoting innocent people,” he fumed
A villager in Ntuthuko area in Insiza South who spoke on condition of anonymity called on authorities to investigate Chief Mafu.
“The Chief must be investigated because every time when he demotes a village head, the incoming has to pay him something,” the villager said.
One of the recently demoted village heads in the Ntuthuko area, Ayanda Nhliziyo, said he was unfairly dismissed.
“I agreed to step down, but I was unfairly dismissed because I was dismissed on grounds of allowing development in my area,” he said.
“Someone drilled a borehole in my jurisdiction so by that time I was sick and he had not notified me of the new development.
“I was going to notify Chief Mafu of the new developments but I was not given that time.
“The Chief also sent a message through someone, telling me that I was dismissed.”
Another village head who was demoted, Khalubone Malunga, said the Chief must be investigated.
Contacted for a comment, Chief Mafu, refused to comment on the matter.
“This is not a public interest issue. If a magistrate says someone is guilty so be it,” he fumed.
