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Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor 

ATTEMPTS by some elements to divide local traditional leaders along tribal lines should be condemned in the strongest sense as they go against the spirit of unity that binds Zimbabweans. 

Traditional leaders have a history of working towards uniting the people in pursuit of developing their respective areas towards the broader objective for national cohesion and prosperity. 

During the liberation war that brought the country’s Independence in 1980, chiefs also played a critical role in supporting combatants in the fight to dislodge the colonial regime and free the black majority from the shackles of bondage. 

It is against this background that traditional leaders must reject with contempt manoeuvres by some negative elements to try and put a wedge between them for narrow and selfish gains. 

It has been reported that there are some recently installed traditional leaders who want to set up parallel structures to the already established chiefs’ council with the view of creating a rift among chiefs in an evil plot with tribal undertones. 

Some of them have openly embraced the toxic opposition politics of bringing chaos into the country against the calls by President Mnangagwa for peace and unity in the country. 

The chiefs must know that they have elements in their midst bent on bringing chaos to their institution, a key pillar of the country, and should repel such characters as their machinations are not good for the people of Zimbabwe. 

At the meeting with traditional chiefs from Matabeleland region at State House in Bulawayo last Friday, President Mnangagwa castigated efforts to sow seeds of divisions among chiefs from the Midlands saying the province was united and would not allow to be divided. 

This was after some chiefs from Midlands province were included in Friday’s meeting at the State House in Bulawayo on the basis of tribal lines. 

This did not sit well with the President and he made his feelings known that he would not entertain any efforts to divide chiefs. 

Also not sitting well with the President was a request by some chiefs to exclude chiefs’ council president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, from the deliberations and he made his rejections to the propositions known. 

Before the start of the meeting, President Mnangagwa requested to speak so that he could address the anomaly. 

“Salibonani ziNduna zethu. In terms of the programme, this is not the time I must speak, I have only requested to speak because of some anomaly which I see in relation to this gathering. 

“First I was requested that the president of the Chiefs’ Council, when you give your grievances, should be absent. I am saying as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe we need transparency, accountability and no secrets so the president of the chiefs’ council, Chief Charumbira, will remain here,” he said. 

“Secondly, I received a letter from some two chiefs requesting me to meet them here in Bulawayo, chiefs from Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South. I’m now informed that chiefs from my province, Midlands have been picked, selected on the basis of tribe. I don’t like that. We in the Midlands are united, we will not accept to be divided so the chiefs from Midlands will remain in this indaba but they will not speak because of the basis in which they have been brought here. We shall have presentations from Matabeleland South and North then I will give replies to issues that will be raised.”

It was refreshing that, on the day, the chiefs made it clear that the majority of them were not part of the few merchants of chaos and their destructive agenda. 

Responding to the President at the end of the programme while giving a vote of thanks, deputy president of the chiefs’ council, Chief Mtshana Khumalo, distanced the chiefs from the region from plots to exclude Chief Charumbira and attempts to divide chiefs along tribal lines. “We as the two provinces invited here, we are not part of those efforts, it’s not in our culture that when we have a meeting, we exclude each other especially our president. We have never gone to any province where he is excluded when issues affecting chiefs are discussed when the leader of the council is not there,” said Chief Khumalo. 

“I wanted to set it on record that this is not the stance of the two provinces that invited you, maybe it is the view of one or two people. We are happy that you saw it fit for our president to continue being part of this meeting otherwise it was going to be a great shame excluding him.” 

The country, since the ushering in of the Second Republic, is making a step-change on a number of issues towards ensuring unity among Zimbabweans.

Active efforts are also being made towards bringing closure to issues that have dogged the country for so many years like the Gukurahundi issue so that Zimbabweans move forward bound by unity under the national flag. 

President Mnangagwa has expressed over and again his vision of leading a united Zimbabwe and any acts against this vision should not be tolerated by any patriotic progressive forces in the land. 

The chiefs therefore play a critical role to complement this vision by taking a lead in engaging in activities and conducting themselves in a manner that brings unity among themselves first and the greater Zimbabwean community for there is no society that can unite or prosper when its leaders are divided. 

The Chiefs’ Council has for many years worked harmoniously in the absence of these negative elements. The chiefs have worked in unity over the years and there is no reason why they should change course now when the country is making a turn towards great things. 

The chiefs should therefore unite and shame these negative forces who have volunteered themselves to do the bidding for the opposition and hostile institutions against the country.