Zimpapers Logo

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The dispute on the Gutu chieftainship in Masvingo has taken a new twist with prominent bus operator Mr Tanda Tavaruva’s elder brother contesting the businessman’s selection as the next substantive chief of the province’s most prestigious chieftainship.

Mr Mareyi Chivasa (94) of Chagwiza in Gutu is arguing that his younger brother was erroneously selected as the 22nd Chief Gutu, with nonagenarian saying he deserved the honour by virtue of being the eldest surviving offspring of the Chagwiza family.

The Chagwiza family is in line to provide the next Chief Gutu and will take over from the Masanganise family which provided the last substantive chief, Mr Anos Kasirai Masanganise, who died in 2013. The late Mr Masanganise’s son Edmund has been acting chief since his father’s death.

Clan members met last year and agreed that it was the Chagwiza family’s turn to take over the chieftainship, resulting in the selection of Mr Tavaruva as the next Chief Gutu.

Mr Tavaruva then appointed his 49-year-old first born son Godwin Tavaruva to be installed as Chief Gutu on his behalf, citing poor health.

Mr Tavaruva’s son had not yet been installed as the new Chief Gutu after one of the Madyira families contested his selection. In the latest twist, Mr Chivasa yesterday charged that Mr Tavaruva was trying to trick his way into becoming the next Chief Gutu.

He poured his heart out to The Herald expressing shock to learn of his younger brother’s selection as the next Chief Gutu.

“I was shocked to hear that my younger brother had been selected to become the next Chief Gutu by virtue of being the oldest in the Chagwiza family.

“I am the oldest at 94 years and I am supposed to be the next Chief Gutu.

“All I am asking is for the authorities to re-start the process again because the people who agreed for my younger brother to become the next chief were wrongly led to believe I was dead but I am alive as you can see,” he said.

He said it was painful that the previously good relationship between him and Mr Tavaruva had broken down because of wrangling over the Gutu chieftainship.

“My appeal is that his investiture as the next Chief Gutu should be stopped because he does not deserve to take that throne, it’s mine!” he said.

However, Mr Tavaruva in a short response, disputed Mr Chivasa’s claims.

“There is nothing like that. We have to talk about that issue later but what I can tell you is that there is nothing like that,” he said, promising to give his version of events. Mr Chivasa and his family have since approached the Gutu District Administrator’s office seeking the rescission of a decision to appoint Mr Tavaruva as the next chief.

Gutu DA Mr Vafios Hlavati confirmed receiving a complaint from Mr Chivasa but said the matter was now difficult to reverse.

“I will take up the complaints made by Mr Chivasa to the Provincial Administrator but I don’t think his case holds water. If he is an authentic member of the Chagwiza clan where was he all along?

“The information we got from other Gutu clan members is that Mr Chivasa never participated in clan meetings and had absented himself from clan matters for close to three decades and his re-emergence now raises a lot of questions,” he said.