An 85 year old man from Mushandike Village recently appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Elizabeth Hanzie facing charges of impersonating a chief and went on to appoint a headman who in turn appointed own village heads. The accused was nabbed for impersonating Chief Bere and appeared in court together with six other people for unlawfully allocating land and collecting money from villagers.
The seven accused persons who include one woman appeared in court on September 19, 2023 facing charges of adjudication without authority and impersonation. Magistrate Hanzie postponed the matter to a later date to allow the accused to prepare their defense.
It is the state’s case as presented by prosecutor, Godknows Mugondo that on March 5, 2023 and April 9, 85 Petros Mahwekwe of Mushandike village unlawfully appointed himself as chief. Mahwekwe further proceeded using the authority of the chief to appoint Jerryfanos Mangwangwa (55) in Makonde area which covers village 21 and 22 as headman and a woman, Lydia Mboko (52) as village for ward 12.
Mangwangwa, with his authority as headman went on to appoint Justin Kufandada (63) as village head for village 21, Nhamo Ndoro (53), Evas Ashton (58) and Only Chengeta (66) as village heads for village 22. Mboko, Kufandada, Ndoro, Ashton and Chengeta went to village 12A, 21 and 22 on different occasions convening village meetings as ‘substantive’ village heads and told villagers that those who have been village heads in the past are no longer village heads and have been replaced by them.
During these meetings, villagers were hoodwinked into believing that those who had been village heads in the past were no longer village heads. The four village heads went on to unlawfully allocate land to outsiders, collecting money from villagers saying it was for installing the chief and threatened those who refused to pay the money
Source TellZim
