Source: Chief Negomo dethroned – DailyNews Live
Andrew Kunambura 17 October 2017
HARARE – Controversial traditional leader Chief Negomo, real name Luscious
Chitsinde, has lost his chieftainship after the Mashonaland Central
provincial assembly of the Chiefs’ Council resolved that the throne
rightly belonged to the Gweshe family.
The resolution was made at a meeting held in Bindura on Friday.
Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson of the Chiefs Council, Clemence
Nembire, or Chief Nembire, chaired the meeting.
The meeting reportedly resolved to install David Gweshe as the substantive
Chief Negomo.
Gweshe, a musician, has been battling to wrest the chieftainship from
Chitsinde at the High Court, arguing that he was the legitimate Chief
Negomo.
The Mashonaland Central provincial assembly of the chiefs’ council is now
expected to inform the National Chiefs’ Council of the decision.
The National Chiefs’ Council president, Fortune Charumbira, would then
transmit the information to Local Government, Rural Development and
National Housing minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere will then inform President Robert Mugabe, who would effect
Gweshe’s appointment in terms of section 283 of the Constitution.
Mashonaland Central provincial administrator, Cosmas Chiringa, confirmed
last Friday’s meeting in Bindura but said he was not at liberty to give
details because communication followed legally specified channels.
“I wrote to inform him that there was a meeting of the provincial assembly
of the chief’s council whose aim was to decide on who should be the
substantive Chief Negomo. The meeting was held last Friday. They will
present their recommendation to the national chiefs’ council which will
take the recommendation to the president as required by law,” Chiringa
said.
Efforts to get comment from Chief Negomo were fruitless as his mobile
phone was answered by his aide who claimed he had gone into a meeting.
He promised to return the Daily News call later but did not while
subsequent calls were not being answered.
Chief Negomo rose to notoriety in 2012 when he fined MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai two cattle and two sheep among other penalties for marrying
Locadia Karimatsenga-Tembo in November, which he claimed was a taboo to
marry during the month of November in the Shona tradition.
However, Tsvangirai had the fine outlawed by the High Court on appeal.
Chitsinde has had an eventful stint as Chief Negomo, punctuated by a
series of scandals.
Only recently, he sent emissaries to collect a beast from a village widow
as punishment for her son’s death by suicide.
However, the woman’s livestock was spared by irate mourners who beat and
chased the emissaries away.
In 2013, he ordered commercial farmer Pip Mattison of Tavydale farm in
Mazowe to pay $1,1 million in compensation to 55 A1 farmers whose crops
were destroyed following disturbances brought about by a land dispute.
The verdict was passed as a default judgment after the farmer’s lawyers
advised Tavydale not to attend on grounds that the traditional leader had
no jurisdiction over the matter.
In December 2015, Chief Negomo was sentenced to three months in prison by
the High Court after he failed to repay a loan of $147 000 to CBZ Bank.
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