The Ngoni Royal Establishment has announced that next year’s Ncwala Traditional Ceremony will not take place if a new Paramount Chief Mpezeni is not installed by the end of February.
Speaking on behalf of the establishment, Gogo Madzimawe said all royal ceremonies previously presided over by the late Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV have been suspended following his death.
He explained that the Ncwala Ceremony, a central cultural event for the Ngoni people, can only be conducted under the authority of the Inkosi ya Makhosi, a position that is currently vacant.
“There will be no Ncwala next year if by the end of February there is no new Ngwenyama. The ceremony stands down because the lion is no more,” Madzimawe said.
He added that if succession is not concluded within the stipulated period, the traditional gathering will remain suspended.
“All activities that were under his custodianship, including Ncwala, cannot proceed. The salutation ‘Bayethe’ has also been put on hold until a new king is unveiled,” he said.
The late Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV, born David Njengembazo Jere, ruled the Ngoni people for 44 years after ascending the throne in 1982. He died at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) on May 30 and was buried on June 9.
His leadership is widely credited with strengthening the Ncwala Traditional Ceremony, which is held annually in February and attracts thousands of participants from across Zambia and beyond.
As usual trouble brewing