Ugly Scenes In Bolero Over Chikulamayembe Chieftaincy
Scores of Youths at Bolero in Rumphi have damaged houses, crops and other property as the wrangle over the paramount Chikulamayembe chieftaincy of the Tumbuka tribe rages on.
Almost ten houses and tobacco worthy millions of dollars belonging to people connected to the Bongololo Gondwe of the Chikulamayembe (Gondwe) royal family have been destroyed.
Reports indicate that there were clashes between youths from the Chikulamayembe camp and those from the camp of deposed Mtima Gondwe who until this day claims to be the rightful heir to the Chikulamayembe chieftaincy.
A video clip gone viral on various social media platforms show police firing teargas at youths who blocked the road as they were pelting stones at the police while some officers could be heard murmering that the youth have been funded to carry out acts of violence.
In 2019, Mtima Gondwe was installed as Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe after the death of his father, Walter John Hardy Gondwe.
However, his cousin Bongololo Gondwe took the matter to court claiming that he was the right person to become Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe.
The High Court agreed with him and despite protests from the Mtima Gondwe faction Bongololo was installed as chief by President Lazarus Chakwera last month.
Some impeccable sources reports that on Thursday, the convoy of a deputy minister was also pelted with stones in Rumphi.
Addressing the media in Mzuzu during a runup to the installation of the new Paramount chief a few weeks ago, Principal Group Village Headman Hunga Gondwe told journalists that if all the concerns that were channeled to the head of state on these wrangles were not resolved, they will hold a parallel installation of Joseph Bongololo Gondwe as Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe.
Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe, Walter Gondwe who was the father of Mtima Gondwe died in 2018, and since then, these two camps have been to Court, State House, Religious groupings to find lasting solution to the Chieftainship puzzle.
