National Council of Chiefs president Chief Mtshane Khumalo has called for stronger efforts to protect Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage, warning that child marriages, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, school dropouts and disputes over chieftainship are undermining traditional values.
Khumalo was speaking on Sunday at the official opening of the Tshitaudze Heritage Festival in Beitbridge, where he urged traditional leaders, parents, teachers and churches to work together to address social problems affecting communities.
He said protecting cultural heritage also meant confronting problems that were weakening traditional institutions and values.
“Fellow Chiefs and fellow Zimbabweans, preserving heritage also means fighting what destroys heritage. Today, our chiefdoms are bleeding from social ills that were never part of our culture,” Khumalo said.
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On child marriages and teenage pregnancies, Khumalo said traditional practices were intended to prepare girls for adulthood and marriage and should not be used to justify the abuse of children.
“On Child Marriages and Teenage Pregnancies, our culture never celebrated a child giving birth to a child. Traditionally, Tshivhambo, a house for girls taught girls dignity, self-respect, and maturity before marriage. Today, we have children impregnating children, and we have old men abusing our girls in the name of culture. This is not culture; this is abuse,” he said.
Khumalo said the National Council of Chiefs was working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to enforce policies allowing girls who fall pregnant to return to school.
“The Chiefs Council says, Stop it. We are working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to enforce the zero-tolerance and re-entry policy, but we must prevent it in the first place,” he said.
He also criticised school dropouts, saying children who leave school prematurely represent a loss to their communities.
“On school dropouts, every child who drops out is a library burnt. Our ancestors valued learning through oral history. We cannot allow Beitbridge to have children herding cattle when they should be in school,” he said.
Khumalo also raised concerns about crime, drug abuse and risky sexual behaviour, saying substances such as Mutoriro, Guka and illicit brews were contributing to HIV infections, gender-based violence and crime.
“Rising crime, drugs and reckless behaviour and the spreading of HIV is the new enemy. Mutoriro, Guka, illicit brews, and reckless sexual behaviour are fuelling HIV infections again, fuelling gender-based violence and crime. A drunken village cannot hold a Khoro or a village court. A high youth cannot respect Zwifho or sacred sites. As Chiefs, we cannot just watch,” he said.
He called on parents, teachers and churches to work with traditional leaders to address the problems, saying traditional mentorship programmes were being revived to provide young people with guidance on life skills, reproductive health and Ubuntu.
“I appeal to all parents, teachers, and churches, let us work together. Chiefs are reviving traditional mentorship which is called Tondo a house for boys for boys and Tshivhambo which is a house for girls , as safe spaces for elders to teach life skills, reproductive health, and Ubuntu. We will expose drug peddlers through our village structures and work with police,” he said.
Chieftainship disputes
Khumalo also called for greater respect for traditional succession procedures, warning that treating chieftainship as a political position could undermine the institution.
He said he had raised the issue at the burial of the late Chief Marupi of Matabeleland, whom he described as one of the youngest chiefs to have served, taking up the position at the age of 15.
“As Chiefs, we must protect tradition itself. As you know, last year at the burial of the late Chief Marupi of Matabeleland one of our youngest chiefs who served from age 15. I made a plea that we must honour cultural traditions in choosing successors,” he said.
Khumalo reiterated his position in Beitbridge, saying succession should not be determined through political campaigning or pressure from villagers but through established cultural practices involving the family and local traditional leaders.
“I repeat that call here in Beitbridge. The chieftainship is not a political post to be campaigned for in beer halls or on social media. It is not for villagers to impose. Our cultural practices are clear, a successor is chosen from the sons of the house or, if necessary, a brother, guided by the family and assisted by local chiefs, after the proper mourning period,” he said.
He warned that disputes arising from departures from traditional succession procedures could delay the appointment of chiefs and require ministerial intervention.
“When we deviate, we get prolonged disputes, two-year delays that force the Minister to intervene, and we lose the sanctity of our institution. I urge the family of Chief Tshitaudze and all families in this district and indeed across Zimbabwe to respect tradition in choosing successors,” Khumalo said.
He urged traditional leaders to guide families through succession processes rather than contribute to disputes.
“Let us guide families, not mislead them. Let us make it easier, not harder, to preserve our lineage. As I have always said, the role of choosing a Chief must remain within the family and with the assistance of local chiefs, so that cultural values are upheld even in times of grief and conflict,” he said.
Cultural centres
Khumalo said the National Council of Chiefs also planned to establish cultural centres in every chiefdom to preserve traditions and pass cultural knowledge to younger generations.
He cited a project in Bubi, where more than 100 indigenous and citrus trees had been planted around a dam and mountains with the support of the Environment Ministry as part of efforts to establish a cultural centre.
“Many of you read about our small project in Bubi. With the support of the Minister of Environment, we planted over 100 indigenous and citrus trees around a dam and mountains to create a cultural centre, a garden, a courtyard where elders advise the youth, where we preserve trees and culture together. That is our aspiration as Chiefs Council, that every Chiefdom must have its own cultural centre. A living museum. A place where heritage is not in a book, but is practiced. Where Tshikona is danced, where Tshivenda is spoken proudly, where our children learn who they are,” Khumalo said.
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