Gomani calls for Ngoni unity amid royal strife

Inkosi Ya Makosi Gomani V, has called for unity among the royal family as internal strife almost led to the cancellation of an annual ceremony, Umhlangano, held over the weekend.

The annual gathering of all Maseko Ngonis is the most important festival on the Ngoni calendar, but Saturday’s event at Manda a Gomani, at Nkolimbo Village was almost cancelled at the eleventh hour after a member of the royal family obtained a court injunction to stop the celebration.

The injunction was effectively vacated, but consequently resulted in dampened moods at this year’s ceremony.

But addressing the gathering that included Minister of Sports and Culture, Grace Chiumia, the young Ngoni king opted to rally the kingdom towards unity and completely skipped the injunction issue in his speech.

“We should unite and love one another. As the Ngoni saying goes, all Ngonis are one,” said Gomani V.

He called for vigilance in protection of the Ngoni heritage but also urged his subjects and the country at large to focus on development and ending poverty.

The king called for peaceful co-existence among various tribes and urged his subjects to honour their cultural values while having faith in God.

On her part, Chiumia said government will help the Ngonis promote their culture, by among others, considering a proposal to construct a Ngoni heritage centre in Ntcheu, the heartland of the Ngoni tribe.

She said such a centre will not only allow future generations to learn more about culture, but also bring in revenue to the Ngonis through tourism.

Chiumia called for tolerance to enable peaceful inter-tribe relations to thrive.