The Charumbira chieftainship, a Shona chieftaincy, consists of eight houses. These eight as per tradition belong to the eight sons of the original chief Mudavanhu. These sons are, Mututuvari, Mapingure, Mutanha, Mataruse, Muvoni, Mudzimbwaseka, Magura and the last born Madyira. Under the Shona collateral system of rotation, chieftaincy should be in rotation between these houses but that appears not to be the case with the abuse stemming from colonial authority interference to today under certain politicians who shall be named herein.
In 2016 Fainos Mihwa of the Mapingure house lodged a formal complaint with the chiefs council with regards to the selection of the current chief, chief Fortune Charumbira. He alleged that his appointment was contrary to the cultural requirements of the collateral system. The chiefs council found merit in his case and appointed an investigative committee to pursue the matter. The committee was led by chief Ndanga.
On the 30th August 2017 at 13:30hrs, a family meeting attended by all collateral houses was convened with the intention of seeking a deeper understanding of matters. The meeting was almost aborted when Zandi Charumbira, at the behest of chief Charumbira came with a High court order seeking to disrupt the meeting. However, upon seeking advisement from the Department of Traditional Leaders Support Services they were advised to continue with the meeting as the order was directed to the chiefs parent ministry and not the committee. Thus, the meeting continued.
Joseph Mutema (Mataruse House) rose to speak and said that the chieftaincy had rotated normally from Mututuvari until it reached the house of Madyira. This was supported by Anderson Zvitambo (Mudzimbwaseka House) who further said when Madyira himself died in the 1950's that was the beginning of political interference in their succession matters because it saw the illegal ascension of Mhazha who was from the same Madyira house. Having cosied up to the colonialists, the Madyira house stifled the original rotation pattern using their political alliance with the colonialists. So instead of the chieftaincy going to the Mututuvari house, it remained in Madyira's house. This continued when Mhazha died and Zephania took over, using the same colonialist connections.
In 1992, Zephania died and Fortune, his son and current Chief Charumbira took over as acting chief. In the squabbles for succession that ensued, Takabvirwakare Mututuvari (Mututuvari House), said government officials were the main cause of the conflicts as they used their political muscle to influence a result that was contrary to the Shona collateral norms of succession. This was supported by Mudhlongwa Mataruse (Mataruse House), who said that it was the late Vice President Simon Muzenda who had interfered and initially enforced Fortune to be interim chief for five years instead of two and had finally enforced his chieftainship in flagrant disregard of the cultural values.
This political interference has tried to seek root in the new dispensation through the auspices of Minister of State in Vice President Kembo Mohadi's office, Davies Marapira and a Colonel Magumise. In 2018, 19 chiefs were force marched to then Deputy Minister Marapira's farm in Masvingo to choreograph them to adopt a blinkered inclination in favour of a predetermined line up of chiefs that would ensure Fortune Charumbiras continued stranglehold on the Chiefs Council. Likewise, a Colonel Magumise like the above named minister purported falsely to have been sent by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa to instruct chiefs to vote for Chief Charumbira.
Despite, victimization and intimidation of chiefs, the chiefs council met and Chief Ndanga as chairman of the investigative committee presented his findings. He found that the Charumbira family was now following the premogeniture system, which is the Ndebele system of inheritance. The house was then opened to debate. Upon completion of debate, council found that the Customary and Traditional Succession Model had been disregarded in the appointment of Chief Charumbira and must, therefore, be reviewed. The days of abusing political offices to illegally gain succession are surely at an end for the Madyira house. For almost 70 Years Chief Fortune Charumbira's house has denied the other seven houses their right to inherit. This abuse will end under the new dispensation.