By Princess Eugene Majuru
In Zimbabwe, traditional leaders remain among the most important pillars of community life. Chiefs, headmen, and village heads (sabhukus) continue to resolve disputes, preserve culture, safeguard customs, and maintain social order in both rural and peri-urban communities. Yet despite their significance, chieftainships remain underfunded, under-equipped, and largely forgotten in national development plans.
More than four decades after independence, many traditional leaders still operate under conditions that mirror the colonial era — isolated, poorly resourced, and excluded from meaningful development frameworks.
The Bicycle in the Digital Era
One of the clearest symbols of neglect is the continued reliance on outdated means of transport for village heads and traditional leaders. In some areas, sabhukus are still given bicycles to carry out their duties.
But in today’s world, one must ask: how practical is this?
A sabhuku may be expected to travel long distances across villages, mediate disputes, attend meetings, inspect community matters, and relay important government information. How many years would it take to effectively perform these duties while cycling long distances on poor roads?
Zimbabwe’s rural infrastructure presents an even greater challenge. During the rainy season, roads become muddy and nearly impassable. Some areas have difficult terrain that makes movement extremely difficult even for motor vehicles. Can traditional leaders realistically navigate such conditions on bicycles?
While other sectors modernise, chieftainships remain trapped in a system that limits efficiency and weakens their ability to serve communities effectively.
Colonial Shadows Still Linger
During colonial rule, traditional leaders were often deliberately weakened, sidelined, or manipulated to limit their influence. Chiefs were excluded from major governance structures and denied meaningful development support.
Sadly, there are growing concerns that this marginalisation continues in a different form today.
Instead of empowering traditional institutions, many chieftainships remain under-resourced and disconnected from modern systems of governance and communication. The result is that an institution central to Zimbabwean identity risks being left backward while the world moves forward.
If Zimbabwe truly values its heritage, then traditional leadership cannot remain an afterthought.
Missing from National ICT and Development Plans
Zimbabwe now lives in a digital era where communication, governance, education, and record-keeping increasingly rely on technology. Yet traditional leaders are conspicuously absent from many digital development initiatives.
The ministries responsible for information, communication technology, and digital transformation have launched ambitious programmes to modernise the country. However, traditional leaders often appear excluded from these conversations.
Questions must be asked:
Why are chiefs not included in national ICT budgets?
Why are chieftainships absent from many digital inclusion strategies?
Why are traditional institutions overlooked in modern communication systems?
Members of Parliament receive laptops, tablets, and electronic devices to aid their work. Government offices increasingly digitise their records and communication. Yet many chiefs still rely on handwritten notebooks to record traditional court proceedings and community matters.
These notebooks can easily be damaged by rain, fire, theft, or simple wear and tear. Records built over decades can disappear instantly, leaving communities without historical reference or legal continuity.
In an age where cloud storage and digital backups exist, should traditional courts still depend entirely on fragile paper systems?
A Case for Digital Chieftainships
Zimbabwe should begin thinking seriously about creating digitally connected chieftainships.
Each chieftainship could have an official website or digital platform where information is shared efficiently. Such systems could serve several purposes:
Sharing traditional laws and cultural knowledge
Preserving oral histories and heritage
Recording traditional court cases securely
Improving communication between chiefs and communities
Connecting traditional leaders with government departments
Promoting local tourism and cultural identity
A digital platform would also strengthen transparency and institutional memory while making traditional leadership more accessible to younger generations.
Importantly, digitisation would not replace tradition — it would strengthen and preserve it.
The Ministry of Local Government Must Act
Since chiefs fall under the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, the responsibility to modernise and support chieftainships cannot be ignored.
Development should not focus only on urban institutions while rural governance systems remain stagnant. Chiefs should be included in national budgets, ICT strategies, transport planning, and infrastructure development.
Support could include:
Reliable transport suitable for rural terrain
Computers, tablets, and internet access
Training in digital administration and record management
Dedicated websites for chieftainships
Digitisation of traditional court records
Improved communication systems between chiefs and government
Traditional leadership is not a relic of the past. It remains a living institution central to governance, culture, conflict resolution, and community cohesion.
Time to Pull Up Our Socks
Zimbabweans must ask themselves whether they are comfortable seeing one of the country’s oldest institutions left behind in the modern world.
Development should not happen selectively. It cannot be acceptable for some leaders to operate with laptops and digital tools while others — equally responsible for community governance — struggle with bicycles, notebooks, and poor infrastructure.
If Zimbabwe is serious about inclusive development, then chieftainships must no longer be forgotten.
The digital revolution should belong to everyone — including the custodians of our culture and heritage.
The time has come for Zimbabwe to pull up its socks and ensure that traditional leadership is not left behind.
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