Mnangagwa Approves Recall of Three Chiefs From Senate

Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Tafadzwa Muguti named the other two as Chief Nhema, born Rangarirai Bwawanda, of Zaka, and Chief Chitanga, born Feleni Chauke, of Mwenezi. He said Senate President Mable Chinomona and the president of the National Council of Chiefs were served with the recall papers that morning, and the three chiefs were notified.

Muguti said the government had acted "with regret". Legal procedures to formally remove the three from the Senate will now follow, he said, after which elections will be held to replace them.

The case against the chiefs

The process began on 14 September, when the Masvingo Provincial Assembly of Chiefs voted to recall the three. Forty-two of the 45 chiefs who took part backed the motion, which was moved by Chief Nemanwa, born Fungai Manjiva. No official reason was given at the time of the vote.

Muguti said this week that the assembly accused the three of undermining presidential authority. He did not detail the allegations, and the conduct involved has not been made public. He added that the government wants to restore respect and dignity for traditional leaders and is concerned about rising conflicts within traditional jurisdictions.

The three represent Masvingo province in the Senate. The National Council of Chiefs is led by president Chief Lucas Mtshane Khumalo of Bubi in Matabeleland North, with Charumbira as his deputy. The Constitution requires traditional leaders to be politically neutral.

Charumbira is a former president of the National Council of Chiefs and was re-elected president of the Pan-African Parliament in March 2024. In May 2018 the High Court ruled that his public declarations of support for Zanu PF breached the Constitution's requirement that traditional leaders remain non-partisan. A further order in 2022 compelled the authorities and Charumbira to comply with that judgment.

Why the Senate seats matter

The Constitution reserves 18 of the Senate's 90 seats for traditional leaders. Sixteen are elected chiefs, two from each non-metropolitan province, and the president and deputy president of the National Council of Chiefs sit ex officio.

Under Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3), which also extends Mnangagwa's term to 2030, the president is to be chosen by a joint vote of MPs and senators rather than by direct election. That gives each Senate seat more weight in any future presidential contest.

The recall comes as Zanu PF opens its annual conference, amid a public rift between Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga over succession. Muguti's explanation did not link the two. The Granite Post could not find a public response from the three chiefs by Wednesday morning.