Zimpapers Logo

Samuel Kadungure in Rusape
It never rains, but pours for former Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa, as the Makoni chieftainship council of elders yesterday, publicly disowned the disgraced former party stalwart, saying he was the dynasty’s nephew and not of royal blood. The council, led by Chief Makoni, said Cde Mutasa was not of royal blood as he would want everyone in the country to believe.

Cde Mutasa all along claimed he was a Makoni or a Nyati, but for the first time, the clan publicly disputed his kinsmen status, saying he could not assume office as a bona fide member of the clan.

Chief Makoni, who was flanked by Moses Gwasira and Ishe Muchembere during a Press conference at his court in Rusape, said this also explained why Cde Mutasa in the early 80s unsuccessfully launched a campaign to clinch the Mutasa chieftainship, of the Shumba clan, in Manicaland.

His bid crumbled after he failed to elucidate the genealogy and connectivity to that chieftainship.

This has also raised suspicions that he could be a Shumba.

“Didymus Mutasa is not of royal blood because he is a nephew. His great grandmother was a daughter of the Makonis called Marutse. He is tarnishing the image and integrity of the dynasty by his claims to be a Nyati. Our dynasty is being viewed with suspicions because of him, and this has prompted us to come in the open to expose his roots,” said Chief Makoni.

“He is neither a Nyati or a Makoni. The Mutasas were once our enemies, we fought wars against them to liberate our land and there is no way we could be of the same totem with them. Here is a nephew who adopted the totem of his uncles for lack of or ignorance of his own totem.

“Didymus Mutasa, thus, has no standing in the determination of matters that relate to the Makoni clan and Makoni Chieftainship. He wanted my throne. He frustrated the whole process for many years. He wanted to be Chief Makoni. He is greedy. He is evil and stops at nothing to grab power,” said Chief Makoni.

It is claimed that Cde Mutasa is a descendant of one “Matambura”, a male born of a female sibling (Marutse) of the family of Chigudu, of the Zendera house.

The Makoni clan stems from its great grandfather Gunguwo, who had five sons, Fusire, Muswati, Zendera, Nyamanhindi and Nyakurukwa.

Marutse was a sister to Zendera who was allegedly killed in 1840.

After his death, Marutse and Zendera’s children were scattered in Mapore and other parts of Mutasa area.

The name Mutasa was derived from a suitor who allegedly rejected paternity.

Cde Mutasa wanted to impose his late brother John Mutasa’s son Tichafara Topira Mutasa, popularly known as Rungutai, as Chief Makoni.

His interference was resisted by the likes of Moses Gwasira, Thomas Vhunduke Gwasira and Makoni District administrator William Mashava.

Cde Mutasa was working with a self-claimed installer and fire kindler of the Makoni dynasty one Paradzai Mukuwapasi.

Mukuwapasi wrote several letters to Mashawa at the instigation of Cde Mutasa, to fast-track the ascendancy of Rungutai to the throne.

Rungutai serves as the Headlands constituency Zanu-PF political commissar.

Cde Mutasa dispatched Mukuwapasi to Mashava’s office to fast-track the process on numerous occasions, but the move suffered a still birth as the dynasty elders argued that the Mutasas were not on the family tree, and therefore not of royal blood.

“He is not of royal blood as he would want everybody to believe. The central role he played in 2014 as the eldest ‘living father’ of the Zendera family at my inauguration as Chief Makoni was purely political and out of coercion. It was a give and take because we wanted the process to go on as he had stalled it for two years. It was not based on connectivity to the chieftainship,” said Chief Makoni.

Another elder referred to the Mutasas, who claim to be, as “Nyati Rutombo” “Nyati Chena” or “Nyati yemubhuku”, not Nyati of Makoni.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Manicaland Cde Mandi Chimene, attended the meeting and thanked the council of elders for biting the bullet and clarifying Cde Mutasa’s true origin.

Cde Mutasa’s political career took a nose dive after he was linked to former VP Joice Mujuru’s cabal that wanted to assassinate President Mugabe ahead of the party’s 6th National People’s Congress.

This was then followed by a series of events including his failure to get a Central Committee seat, being sacked from government as well as impending disciplinary hearing by a special committee led by VP Phelekezela Mphoko that was recently set up by the Politburo.

Cde Mutasa is threatening to sue Zanu-PF challenging some amendments made to the party’s constitution and that the outcome of the 6th Zanu-PF National People’s Congress were a legal nullity.