A
traditional
leader
from
Manicaland
is
facing
legal
action
after
refusing
to
retract
controversial
remarks
in
which
he
called
for
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
to
be
granted
a
life-presidency.
Acting
Chief
Tendai
Saurombe
made
the
comments
last
month
while
standing
in
for
his
ailing
father,
Chief
Oliver
Saurombe.
The
statement
sparked
outrage,
with
critics
accusing
him
of
undermining
Zimbabwe’s
constitutional
term
limits
and
democratic
principles.
The
legal
challenge
was
initiated
by
citizen
Pritchard
Tafadzwa
Paradzayi,
who,
through
the
Zimbabwe
Lawyers
for
Human
Rights
(ZLHR),
issued
a
10-day
ultimatum
demanding
a
public
apology
and
retraction.
After
Saurombe
failed
to
respond
to
the
formal
letter,
Paradzayi
instructed
ZLHR
to
take
the
matter
to
court.
“We
are
under
instructions
from
our
client
to
proceed
with
legal
action
since
the
chief
did
not
respond
to
our
letter,”
ZLHR
lawyer
Obey
Shava
confirmed,
adding
that
the
lawsuit
would
be
filed
at
the
High
Court
in
the
coming
days.
The
rights
group
argued
that
Saurombe’s
endorsement
of
life-presidency
violates
citizens’
voting
rights
and
directly
contravenes
constitutional
provisions
on
presidential
term
limits.
Mnangagwa
himself
has
repeatedly
stated
that
his
term
ends
in
2028,
but
some
loyalists,
including
Local
Government
Minister
Daniel
Garwe,
have
pushed
for
an
extension
to
2030.
Saurombe
went
further,
insisting
on
life-presidency,
a
stance
that
has
drawn
condemnation
from
civil
society,
opposition
parties,
and
legal
experts.
Beyond
the
legal
fallout,
Saurombe
is
also
reportedly
facing
growing
internal
discontent.
Elders
within
the
chieftainship
are
said
to
have
written
to
the
Chimanimani
district
development
coordinator,
accusing
him
of
authoritarian
behaviour
and
destabilising
the
community.
Allegations
include
insulting
accused
persons
at
his
traditional
court
and
arbitrarily
demoting
village
heads
without
due
process.
Zimbabwe’s
constitution
bars
chiefs
from
active
partisan
politics,
yet
traditional
leaders
have
long
been
accused
of
siding
with
Zanu-PF
in
exchange
for
state-issued
benefits,
including
vehicles.
Section
7
of
the
Traditional
Leaders
Act
allows
for
the
suspension
of
chiefs
found
guilty
of
misconduct,
including
political
partisanship.
The
case
now
threatens
to
test
both
Saurombe’s
authority
and
the
government’s
willingness
to
enforce
constitutional
checks
on
traditional
leaders.