High Court Strips “Mambo Munhumutapa” Of Claim To Royal Status
Timothy Chiminya, the man who controversially declared himself “Mambo Munhumutapa” and claimed the power to appoint traditional chiefs across Zimbabwe, is set to stand trial at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 5 June.
He faces charges of undermining the authority of the President.
Chiminya’s dramatic claim dates back to 2022, when he secured a default High Court judgment (Case No. HC3981/22) after the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works failed to respond to his application on time.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Munangati-Manongwa on 28 September 2022, temporarily gave legal weight to his assertion that he could revive the ancient Munhumutapa kingdom.
Following the decision, Chiminya took to social media to proclaim his “kingship” and began appointing traditional leaders, a move that directly challenged the Government’s exclusive constitutional authority to oversee such appointments.
The Attorney-General’s Office, representing the Ministry, later appealed the decision, arguing the default judgment had been issued in error, as the Ministry had submitted its plea within the legal deadline.
Justice Siyabona Paul Musithu overturned the ruling on 2 July 2024, effectively nullifying Chiminya’s claim to royal status.
Despite the reversal, Chiminya continued to misrepresent the court's earlier judgment. According to court documents, he allegedly informed government officials, traditional leaders, and the public that he had been legally recognised as king.
He even issued letters under the title “Mambo Munhumutapa,” demanding official recognition.
Chief Law Officer Luckson Muradzikwa accused Chiminya of deliberate deception, saying his conduct was meant to mislead both state institutions and the public. He said:
He has been going around writing letters, claiming the High Court installed him as king, while conveniently omitting that the same court later overturned that ruling.
The Attorney-General’s Office is seeking a court order to permanently bar Chiminya from declaring himself king, in a bid to put an end to his repeated claims of royal authority.
Meanwhile, Chiminya has filed a defamation lawsuit against Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, demanding US$100,000 in damages over a press statement in which the minister referred to him as an “impostor.”
More: The Herald
Dobrodošli na platformu „Globalni medijski internet pregledač“sedmasila.com
Platforma Sedma Sila je velika online baza newspaper medija iz celog
sveta sa tendecijom konstantnog rasta. Projekat je pokrenut u Srbiji
2016 godine od strane nekolicine kreativnih i ambicioznih ljudi.
Platforma je na web-u dostupna za sve korisnike internet mreže od
Septembra 2020 godine. Stalno radimo na razvoju i i unapređenju
jedinstvenog univerzalnog modula koji će biti zajednički za sve online
newspaper medije. Trenutno na World Wide Web ne postoji javno dostupna
kompletna baza svih medija, uređena tako da korisnicima pruži
jednostavan izbor i brz pristup. Vezano za medije, Google, Facebook i
ostali pretraživaći nude drugačiji concep baze u odnosu na Sedma Sila.
Stalno radimo na poboljšanju funkcionalnosti i dizajniranju platforme.
Naša Misija je da medijske informacije dostupne na Webu, prikupimo,
kategorijski uredimo i prezentujemo korinicima kroz „Novi Internet
Concept“.
Nismo zadovoljni onim što smo uradili. To nas pokreće da nastavimo sa
usavršavanjem projekta.