PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people of Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia has declared that there will be no hosting of the Ncwala ceremony this year due to Covid-19.
Mpezeni said he has made this decision after consultations with his chiefs and Government through the Ministry of Health.
Speaking during a briefing held at Mtenguleni yesterday, Paramount Chief Mpezeni said Covid-19 has claimed a lot of lives in Zambia and as a result he has decided not to host the ceremony this year to safeguard the lives of the people.
“This leadership I have is for the people and without you my people then the leadership will be meaningless. This disease has killed a lot of people, I have decided not to host the ceremony this year because I care about my people’s welfare and I don’t want to be blamed if ever there was any loss of lives as a result of Covid-19,” he said.
Paramount Chief Mpezeni said the lives of his subjects matter, adding that not hosting the Ncwala ceremony this year does not mean the end of the Ngoni or their culture.
“We are going to have the ceremony in the future when life is back to normal. I put God first in all that I do and the lives of my people matters a lot. God will give us direction and one day when everything is back to normal, we may have the ceremony,” he said.
The traditional ruler commended President Edgar Lungu and other stakeholders for rendering material, financial and technical support in the preparations of this year’s Ncwala ceremony.
“As Ngoni Royal Establishment, we did all we could to prepare for the ceremony with guidance from the Ministry of Health. We have also taken note that going ahead with the ceremony would surely endanger the lives of many people including our own Ngonis.
“To all my tribesmen (Bakiti), please bear with us. It would not be right to rejoice for three days and mourn or put in danger our loved ones after. I have tried to see if the numbers of Covid-19 affected people would reduce but this is not the case, numbers have continued rising especially in Eastern Province,” Paramount Chief Mpezeni said. And Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu has commended the paramount chief for making a bold decision of not hosting the Ncwala ceremony this year
