The 50-year-old Lufuno Nthanyeleni Netshiavha was inducted as the new traditional leader of Tshiavha village on Saturday, but not everyone is happy with this development. The Tshiavha Royal Council's members are opposing this appointment and have now called upon Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase to explain why he had allowed the coronation to go ahead.
"We don't recognise the new chief here in Tshiavha," said Ms Magdalene Netshiavha, who described herself as the chairperson of the Tshiavha Royal Council. The Netshiavha family members pride themselves on being the custodians of the sacred Lake Fundudzi, located in Tshiavha village. In March last year, the village's previous leader, Ntsandeni Samuel Netshiavha, passed away after battling a long sickness.
Ms Netshiavha said that the royal council had not chosen Lufuno Nthanyeleni as the rightful successor. "After we lost our chief, we went to Mukumbani (the Tshivhase royal council) to inform them that the chief had died, and he (Mailausumbwa Prince Kennedy) asked us to choose a successor," she said.
The names forwarded as possible successors did not include Lufuno Nthanyeleni Netshiavha. Ms Netshiavha, who is the aunt of the late Chief Ntsandeni Samuel Netshiavha, said he did not qualify to be the new leader, for a number of reasons.
"Nthanyeleni is not the rightful heir. Yes, he is the eldest son of the dzekiso (candle) wife, but we chose another member of the family because he did not qualify," she said. Apparently one of the reasons why he was disqualified was because some are disputing whether his father was Ntsandeni Samuel Netshiavha.
"There is no chief here in Tshiavha. You cannot coronate a chief when the family is not there. We don't recognise him. The Tshivhase Royal council and Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase must call us and inform us as to why they chose a person that we didn't submit as a rightful heir. We feel disrespected by the Tshivhase Royal Council," she said.
Mr Rolani Ronald Masindi, who spoke on behalf of the family members who support Lufuno Nthanyeleni, said the coronation had gone on as planned, despite the disagreement between the two groups.
"We currently don't have a royal council; we just have a group of people that call themselves a royal council and we don't recognise them. The new chief will choose his royal council and other supporting structures soon. You have to understand that there is a game that is being played by royals and it's a game of u vhanga vhuhosi. Every chieftaincy has a way of doing things," he said.
Masindi said that the people who were criticising them, saying that the proper procedures had not been followed, must go to the High Court to contest the coronation of the new leader.