Harare Correspondent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BUHERA, ZIMBABWE \u2013 Villagers in Buhera\u2019s Chief Nyashanu area are demanding action against Headman Chimombe (born Manhando Chimombe), accusing him of exploiting bereaved families by imposing exorbitant levies, including a total of US$75, to permit and attend tombstone unveiling ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Residents allege Headman Chimombe enforces a strict fee structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 US$10 for notifying him of the ceremony (kusuma)
\u00b7 US$40 for his attendance (yestoka)
\u00b7 US$15 for a crate of drinks
\u00b7 US$15 to notify the local village head<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is a burden on top of another burden,” lamented one villager, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We struggle to raise money for the tombstone itself, only to face these crippling demands from our traditional leader. He refuses permission and boycotts the ceremony if we don’t pay.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Headman Denies, Admits Variable Charges Contacted for comment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Headman Chimombe vehemently denied the US$75 allegations, calling them a plot to remove him from his position. He presented a different fee schedule:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 US$10 for notification (kusuma)
\u00b7 US$10 for travel
\u00b7 US$5 to notify the village head
\u00b7 Total: US$25<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Chimombe conceded he sometimes charges more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I only charge US$25\u2026 If the distance is long, I might charge a bit more for transport, but it is never more than US$30.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Nyashanu Condemns Practice as “Outrageous Exploitation”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Nyashanu, under whose authority Headman Chimombe serves, expressed outrage at the reported US$75 fee, calling it exploitative and unacceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This practice is unheard of,”Chief Nyashanu stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We will not tolerate such exploitation in our community. I agreed with all Headmen under me that they should only be given US$10 for notification purposes, whether for tombstones or funerals. Families should refuse to pay any amount beyond that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chief urged affected families to report overcharging directly to him, signaling potential disciplinary action against Chimombe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Broader Pattern of Traditional Leader Levies Emerges<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This incident highlights a concerning trend.
Sources cited similar accusations against other traditional leaders, including Chief Chitsa (alleged US$15 “grave levy”) and then-acting Chief Nyamundi, Siyano Machaya (accused of charging villagers US$137 to hear a case).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The allegations raise questions about the regulation of fees charged by traditional authorities, particularly to vulnerable families during times of grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harare Correspondent BUHERA, ZIMBABWE \u2013 Villagers in Buhera\u2019s Chief Nyashanu area are demanding action against Headman Chimombe (born Manhando Chimombe), accusing him of exploiting bereaved families by imposing exorbitant levies,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-social-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8295,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8293\/revisions\/8295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}