Chiefs elect new Senate reps . . . Ngezi, Chundu elected senators
CHIEF Nembire and Chief Matsiwo were yesterday elected to represent traditional leaders from Mashonaland Central in the Senate.
The elections, which were held at Kuvaka House in Bindura, were presided over by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
In interviews after the elections, Chief Nembire and Chief Matsiwo, pledged to work hard to improve the welfare of their peers in the province.
Chief Nembire said the welfare of traditional leaders was their top priority.
“We want to commend Government for ensuring that our allowances are paid on time through the Salary Services Bureau like civil servants and pensioners.
“We also want to ensure that chiefs lead decent lives for them to get the respect they deserve from their subjects. Even in the event of death, traditional leaders deserve a decent send-off and we will ensure that this is achieved during our tenure in Senate,” he said.
Chief Nembire said they would also push for the early appointment of substantive chiefs as it was taking long to install a new chief.
“The acting time for a chief should be reduced. Some have been acting for the past 10 years and this create unnecessary acrimony among family members. Families are being divided because of the succession issue and we are saying a substantive chief should be installed in the shortest possible time.
“We should be the custodian of our cultures and one cannot fully discharge his or her duties in an acting capacity. In short, we will be advocating for the Operation Restore Culture. A country that does not set norms and values is doomed.
“We cannot allow a free for all situation to prevail. Our children should be proud to sing our national anthem, than to wait for foreign nationals like Chinese to lead us in singing the song of our beautiful nation,” he said.
Chief Nembire called for the conducting of a traditional bira to inform ancestors that the war of liberation was over in Zimbabwe.
“It is now 38 years after independence, but no traditional bira was done to appease the spirits of those who perished during the liberation struggle. We never informed the spirits of the land that guided us during the liberation struggle that we had laid down arms. A lot of squabbling in the country is being experienced because of our failure to perform these important rituals.”
Chief Matsiwo called on Government to assist them in setting up proper court structures in their respective areas.
He also called for an upward variation of the chiefs’ allowances.
Thirteen chiefs participated in the elections. THE Mashonaland West Chiefs’ Assembly elected Chief Ngezi and Chief Chundu to represent the province in the Senate in elections conducted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission yesterday.
African Union and European Union observers witnessed the elections held at Cooksey Hall in Chinhoyi, which saw the two traditional leaders taking up the two slots reserved for chiefs from the province.
The election described by chiefs as transparent saw Chief Ngezi (Peter Pasipamire) of Mhondoro-Ngezi and Chief Chundu (Abel Bhasera) being elected as Senators.
ZEC Mashonaland West provincial elections manager Mr Austin Ndlovu declared the two chiefs as duly elected to the Senate after they emerged winners from a pool of 10 chiefs that were nominated.
“The said Abel Bhasera (Chief Chundu) and Peter Pasipamire (Chief Ngezi) are duly elected members of the Senate with effect from today August 1, 2018,” Mr Ndlovu declared.
He applauded the chiefs for ensuring a smooth process.
At least 24 out of 25 substantive chiefs from Mashonaland West province took part in the elections with only Chief Dendera failing to attend as he was not feeling well.
The elected traditional leaders replace Chiefs Dandawa and Negande who were elected in the 2013 harmonised elections.
Chief Ngezi thanked the chiefs who elected him saying he would work hard to ensure that the status of chiefs is improved.
“I would like to thank the chiefs in the province for the unity which saw them choosing me to represent them in the Senate. I will work hard to ensure that their welfare is improved,” he said.
Chief Chundu hailed the process that saw him being elected to the Senate.
“We will continue from where our predecessors left off so that the welfare of chiefs is improved,” he said.
Provincial administrator Mrs Cecilia Chitiyo thanked the chiefs for being exemplary in the conduct of the election.
She said traditional leaders in the province should speedily deal with boundary disputes and outstanding chieftainship wrangles.
“We want you to move with speed so that you address issues in your jurisdiction as chiefs including boundary disputes and ensure areas where substantive chiefs have not been identified, the process is finalised,” she said.
Chief Chanetsa said he was happy with the outcome as it was an expression of their will as chiefs from Mashonaland West province.
Meanwhile, the traditional leaders also elected Chief Ngezi as the chairperson of the provincial chiefs’ assembly which handles all issues relating to chiefs and the discharge of their duties.