Hundreds of people from all corners of the Masia area gathered at the local sports grounds on Saturday, 4 March, to witness the installation of the new traditional leader of Vyeboom A at Tshirunzanani village, Vhamusanda Edzani Masia.
Vyeboom A forms part of the larger Vyeboom area, in the eastern part of Ha-Masia, which falls under the Masia traditional council.
Thovhele Nthumeni Masia, who conducted the installation ceremony, said a village without a leader was doomed and that Vhamusanda Masia's installation meant that the communities now had someone to lead and rule over them. "You must respect your people, regardless of their status, and don't take sides when you are judging a matter brought to you. You will lead rich and poor people and even mentally ill people, so you must treat each of them with dignity and fairness," said Thovhele Masia.
The new traditional leader said that now that he had been formally installed, he could start to give his attention to matters that involved the communities. "We want to get youths off the streets and encourage them to take part in different sporting activities, like soccer and netball. We are happy that so many are benefiting from the agricultural projects initiated to give young people the necessary skills in agriculture," said Vhamusanda Masia.
Different traditional dances were performed to symbolise the installation ceremony, called U dadzwa ha mativha.
Vhamusanda Masia succeeded his late father, Vhamusanda Mboswobeni Masia, who died in 2021. Until now, the village had been ruled on an acting basis. The new chief promised to work hard and improve services, such as access to clean, running water and better roads during his tenure.