By A Correspondent- VICE President Kembo Mohadi has revealed that Government is crafting a law that will protect chiefs from being summoned by magistrates as witnesses after making a ruling at customary courts.

Addressing Chiefs from the eight districts in the Midlands province in Gweru yesterday, Vice President Mohadi said summoning traditional chiefs as witnesses in matters they would have dealt with is tantamount to looking down upon their esteemed office.

VP Mohadi said traditional chiefs ought to be respected as they were the reservoirs and fountains of the country’s rich cultural heritage which is the backbone of the peace and tranquillity enjoyed in the country.

He said as such, President Mnangagwa had tasked the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi to craft a law that gives traditional chiefs extra powers so that they are not summoned by the magistrates after making judgments at their customary courts.

“As I engage chiefs in their provinces on this very important subject of peace building and conflict resolution, it has become very apparent to me that for chiefs to effectively perform this important role of peace building and conflict resolution, their status and powers have to be enhanced. Chiefs have complained about being dragged to magistrates’ courts after they have made judgments at their customary courts which undermines their status,” he said.

“Chiefs have complained that they are called as witnesses by magistrates. Why are magistrates not called by the High Court to come as a witnesses?  We engaged His Excellency and the Minister of Justice has been asked to look into the matter and come up with rules and regulations so that it doesn’t happen in future because we want the chiefs’ judgments to be respected.”-State Media