A Zimbabwean woman got appointed as regent chief in March for the Mabhikwa chieftaincy in Lupane District, but her uncle and 32 family members sued to block the move. Zanele Khumalo was supposed to hold the position until her nine-year-old nephew turned old enough to take over, making her the fifth female traditional leader in the Matabeleland region. The High Court judge tossed her appointment this week after ruling that some chiefs in her clan bypassed proper family input, and courts lack jurisdiction over traditional leadership disputes anyway.
The real drama goes back decades because John Khumalo claims the entire lineage is wrong. He argues that Zanele's father and grandfather never should have been chiefs since they came from the wrong maternal line, and he wants the position for himself. The dead chief's mother wrote letters complaining about John getting named acting chief without her knowledge, which led to Zanele's temporary appointment. Family members backing Zanele think John will refuse to step down when the actual heir comes of age, since he has disputed the succession for over a decade.
The real drama goes back decades because John Khumalo claims the entire lineage is wrong. He argues that Zanele's father and grandfather never should have been chiefs since they came from the wrong maternal line, and he wants the position for himself. The dead chief's mother wrote letters complaining about John getting named acting chief without her knowledge, which led to Zanele's temporary appointment. Family members backing Zanele think John will refuse to step down when the actual heir comes of age, since he has disputed the succession for over a decade.
