Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

FORTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD Mr Moresteady Munkombwe has been installed as substantive Chief Kavula of Lubimbi in Binga.

This follows his appointment by President Mnangagwa on December 28 last year.

The new chief succeeds his uncle Mukusi Nkamu Muleya who was the second Chief Kavula who died at the age of 90 in August 2021.

The late Chief Kavula was one of Binga’s longest serving chiefs who occupied the throne from 1984 when he succeeded his brother Zenge Kavula who was murdered during the liberation war in 1978.

Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo presided over the installation at Lubimbi Primary School.

“It is my singular honour and privilege to welcome you all to this historic occasion as we witness the official installation of Moresteady Munkombwe as substantive Chief Kavula.

“Such an event does not take place too often and it is therefore important that when it happens people turn out in numbers to support, witness and pay homage to the incoming chief,” said Minister Moyo.

The Kavula people settled in Lubimbi in the 1950s after moving southwards from Chief Pashu area where they had settled earlier upon being displaced by the white settler regime from Kana Block area near Umguza.

Minister Moyo said the Kavula Chieftainship was initially created under a headman falling under a Tonga Chief called Mkoka in Gokwe in Midlands, whose area of jurisdiction stretched up to Lubimbi. In 1956, it was decided that Lubimbi should have a Headman because Chief Mkoka was living completely separate from the Lubimbi area and its people.

The creation of Kavula headmanship was necessitated by the fact that Kavula people refused to acknowledge Mkoka as their chief.

Zenge Kavula was the first headman Kavula under Chief Mkoka on 1 January 1957.

Later on in 1957, Binga District was formed and Pashu and Lubimbi areas were incorporated.

The Kavula headmanship was then removed from Mkoka Chieftainship in May 1958 and placed under Chief Pashu.

It is believed that after his official placement under Chief Pashu, more people from Chief Pashu’s area joined their relatives in Lubimbi and as a result, the Lubimbi people requested a chieftainship of their own.

The Kavula Chieftainship was created in 1976 and Zenge Kavula became the first Chief Kavula before his death two years later.

He was then succeeded by his brother Mukusi Nkamu Muleya in February 1984.

Chief Kavula’s chiefdom still consults Chief Pashu for some traditional ceremonies because their ancestral shrine is in Pashu area.

The new Chief Kavula is married and has two children. He did his primary and secondary education in Lubimbi before working as a security guard for Nottingham Estate in Plumtree.

Minister Moyo said Government was grateful to the Kavula family for peacefully selecting a successor without any fights.

“I must applaud the Kavula people for striving to uphold their customs by ensuring that the deserving incumbent ascends to the throne. This brings sanctity and dignity to the office of the Chief. As Government, we expect that after the death of a chief, family members should observe the necessary traditional rituals and peacefully deliberate on the appropriate candidate to take over the vacant chieftainship post,” he said.

He said Government is in the process of aligning the Traditional Leaders Act to the Constitution to clarify various roles and responsibilities of Traditional leaders and their respective communities.

The minister challenged Chief Kavula to “safeguard and promote your BaTonga practices and values.”

“I would like to say to the new chief, the people have been entrusted into your care; lead them wisely and demonstrate impartiality. The nation will not progress when there is injustice within our communities. May the Lord and your ancestors guide you in all your endeavours to lead the community,” he said.