Traditional leaders should not be overlooked
The roles of the traditional leaders should not be overlooked, as they are still valid.
The institution of traditional leadership should not be overlooked, as they are still valued, and Zimbabwe is regarded as one of the nations in the world that still has much respect for its culture and traditional values.
The issues of chieftaincy and the tribunal courts still exist and are bounded by the concept of ubuntuism in allocating the use of communal land and other resources, collecting and distributing surplus production of the community, and settling disputes between members of the community or village.
Speaking during the inaugural of the headman in Makonde, the guest of honor said the roles of the traditional leaders should not be overlooked because of globalization and current trends, as Zimbabwe has its own tradition and culture bound by the Ubuntu, hence traditional leaders are still valued.
The guest of honor went on to state that even the constitution of the country provides the roles of traditional leaders in society, and this is concrete evidence that they are still valid.
The installation of headman Innocent Dzorani in Makonde recently attracted many people of influence, including public figures, village heads, religious leaders, and political figures who came for the ceremony.
Headman Innocent Dzorani of Chigaro in Makonde Ward 13 was born in 1972 and attended Chedonje Primary School, Nyameni Secondary School, and Hamilton High School.
He worked for Victoria Falls Municipality and is now working for Chitungwiza Municipality.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, the Minister of State mentioned that headmanship was an important institution that had a role to play in the governance system at the communal level as guided by the Traditional Leadership Act 29:17.
She added that the new headman would be expected to spearhead government programs like devolution at the grassroots level, as the government did not want to leave anyone or any place behind in the development trajectory.
She also encouraged the youth and pupils to attend such traditional functions as they had a lot to learn about traditional culture as leaders of tomorrow, and the values should be instilled while they are still young.
The Public Relations and Communications Officer for Rural District Council said the institution of traditional leadership is valued as an important structure in the operations of the council.
“They are authoritative voices that we rely on to reach their subjects in community engagements and when undertaking developmental projects and revenue collection; hence, their roles should not be overlooked as it is a very crucial role of close contact with the community,” he said.
Many spoke glowingly about Dzorani for the service he was rendering and felt that Makonde was lagging behind in terms of development and that serious attention was required to its rural road rehabilitation programs and development in general.
Dzorani was challenged to ensure that the same development was also taking place in Makonde District, his home area.
The headmanship was supposed to be bestowed upon Maxwell Dzorani following the death of headman Chigaro in 2017, but Maxwell Dzorani instead passed on the headmanship to his nephew, Innocent Dzorani, for the reason that he is incapacitated.
On the ceremony, the installed headman, Dzorani, said he believes in servant leadership and working closely with the authority to develop his areas as the responsibility and duties were bestowed upon him, and he urged the villagers to unite as to conquer.
