The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla
CHIEFS in Mashonaland West last week performed traditional rites at Lake Kariba to appeal for rains in the middle of crippling drought.
This emerged during a meeting between Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of National Culture and Heritage Minister Abednico Ncube and religious leaders.
Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume, has seen its water levels falling due to low rainfall in the catchment area.
Some chiefs argue this because of failure to conduct traditional rites.
Traditionalists contend there is need to appease the river god Nyaminyami, one of the most important deities of the Tonga people.
Director of Traditional Leaders Support Services in the Local Government Ministry Mr Fanuel Mukwaira said a special arrangement had been made by chiefs in the province to conduct rain making rites.
“The water levels in Lake Kariba have gone down and the chiefs who are responsible for that part of the country, namely Chief Nyamhunga and Headman Mudzimu … have arranged to meet masvikiro avo (last) Friday evening, which they did. I got a report yesterday that they agreed to bury their differences because the way they were doing it is different. Chief Nematombo was doing it his way; Chief Nyamhunga was doing it in another way.
“But this is a national programme they have agreed to work together. This morning the DA (district administrator) called and advised that they want to perform rituals at the lake latest by tomorrow (last Wednesday).
“We don’t know what they look at, kufamba kwemwedzi! After tomorrow it will be too late to perform that ritual,” Mr Mukwaira said.
He said the ceremonies would continue with the next scheduled for three weeks after the first.
“We are going to try and get the resources they need so that those rituals are performed tomorrow in the lake,” Mr Mukwaira said last Tuesday.
He said every chief ought to perform rain-making ceremonies in August, September and October.
Figures from 2013-15 show that there is a gradual decline of water levels at Lake Kariba. It is now 23 percent full compared to 62 percent in 2015 and 66 percent in 2013.
Water levels were last this low in 1995-96.
