Greed Fueling Chieftaincy Wrangles

Mwanza Mwanza - file photo

The Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture says greed is eroding the fabric and worthiness of the chieftaincy in the country as 15 royal families are currently in leadership disputes.

The ministry's spokesperson, Anjoya Mwanza, has told Zodiak Online on Monday that the majority of these wrangles are in the High Court after all stages of the country’s chief tribunals failed to resolve them.

Mwanza says it is the wish of the government for the royal families to be honest in selecting the heir to the throne, but greed is contributing to the wrangles.

She has since called on the the cultural groupings to work together with the chieftaincy clans to resolve the outstanding misunderstandings.

"So far the Ministry has recorded 15 cases which were reported to the Ministry and the majority of these cases are in the High Court. It is the wish of the Ministry that royal families should be honest, impartial and truthful in selecting the heir to the throne. Otherwise,  greed nowadays is destroying the fabric and worthiness of the chieftaincy," she said.

Meanwhile, Mwanza has since disclosed that now apart from establishing a Paramount Chiefs Council, the ministry is reviewing the Chiefs Act, developing traditional leaders policy, including asking the royal families to compile their family trees.

Similarly, Thyolo district's chiefs council chairperson, Senior chief Mphuka agrees that tracing the chieftaincy family tree is a sure solution to the disputes.

"When the chieftaincy families compile their history tree, it becomes very easy to deal with any misunderstandings. Mostly, the chieftaincy disputes emanate from when the first chiefs married elsewhere and bore children," Chief Mphuka explained.

In most of the funeral ceremonies for  the departed chiefs, government has been advising chieftaincy clans to unite and choose the rightful heirs to the thrones, arguing that the wrangles are derailing development progress in the country.

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Last modified on Tuesday, 07/02/2023

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