Minister, church urge peaceful Chikulamyembe succession

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa and Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Livingstonia have appealed for peaceful succession in the Chikulamayembe chieftaincy.

Speaking on Tuesday during the burial of the late Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe at Bolero in Rumphi, the minister asked royal families and other stakeholders involved in identifying the heir to follow the Tumbuka culture to avoid disputes.

He discouraged royal families from taking chieftaincy issues to court, saying such actions derail development projects as court cases take long to be settled.

“I am stressing the point that you need to sit down because we always say chieftaincy is about blood lineage. When a chief dies, everyone in the family knows who will be the heir but because of greed and corruption, some people deliberately twist the matter to bring confusion,” said Nankhumwa.

CCAP Synod of Livingstonia general secretary the Reverend Levi Nyondo also appealed for a peaceful power transition.

According to the Tumbuka Gonapamhanya Cultural Festival chairperson chief Chikalamba Gondwe, before the late Chikulamayembe, chieftaincy was rotating among Gondwe royal families.

The late Paramount Chief was born Walter John Hardy Gondwe in 1932 and was installed Traditional Authority in 1978.