HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday announced the dethronement of the outspoken Chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni as chief of the Ntabazinduna people, sparking an outcry.

Zvinechimwe Churu, the permanent secretary in the ministry of local government, wrote to the Matabeleland North Provincial Assembly of Chiefs announcing that Mnangagwa had removed Ndiweni as a chief with effect from November 30.

The decision followed a recommendation by Zanu PF-aligned chiefs from the province that he be removed on the basis that he was not the next in line to assume the chieftaincy.

But critics say Ndiweni, who was installed as chief in 2014 following his father’s death, is being removed for speaking out against economic mismanagement, corruption and human rights abuses by Mnangagwa’s government.

“Please be advised that His Excellency, the President, as per your recommendation and in line with provisions of section 283 (ii) of the Constitution and subsection 2(a)(i) of section 3 of the Traditional Leaders Act [Chapter 29:17] removed Felix Nhlanhla Ndiweni from the office of Chief Ndiweni in Umguza district of Matabeleland North Province with effect from November 30, 2019,” Churu said in a December 12 letter to the Matabeleland North chiefs.

The letter was only released on December 14, along with a Cabinet resolution to the same effect.

The resolution, dated November 30, 2019, said: “The Cabinet has the honour to recommend that His Excellency, the President, may be pleased… to remove Felix Nhlanhla Ndiweni from the office of Chief Ndiweni in Umguza district, Matabeleland North province, with immediate effect.”

Ndiweni’s lawyer Dumisani Dube said they would be going to court to vigorously fight the dethronement.

Churu, in his letter, directed local government officials in the province to seize a government issued Isuzu truck and chief’s regalia from Ndiweni “with the assistance of the Zimbabwe Republic Police if need be”.

He also directed that all allowances to Ndiweni be ceased forthwith and local officials to liaise with Ndiweni clan to select a candidate for appointment as substantive chief.

Dube said: “It’s obvious that there has been a subversion of the law and constitution by both the provincial chiefs’ council and the president, and that will be vigorously challenged in the courts of law,” Dube said.

MDC president Nelson Chamisa led a chorus of disapproval with the move.

“The persecution of Chief Ndiweni is unacceptable. An attack on a chief is an attack on a people, their culture and their heritage. The chieftainship is rooted in a people’s identity not vindictive partisan politics and undue interference. Ian Smith tried it but Rhodesia ultimately failed and fell,” Chamisa said in a statement.

“He said the government “play no role in the appointment of traditional leaders, but such processes should be determined by the traditions of the local community.”

He added: “The institution of traditional leaders and its independence should be protected through the framework defined in the constitution. Traditional leaders serve a vital purpose in preserving our cultural heritage and must not be used against the people they represent to silence genuine concerns.

“A rightful leader cannot be imposed on a people. Our call for genuine reforms driven by the people’s agenda must keep growing louder and force institutional change. It is not the role of government to impose itself on the people.”

An internet campaign was launched to get Ndiweni another vehicle and also raise money for his upkeep and pay his legal bills. CLICK HERE to donate to the fund.