Inkosi yaMakhosi M’mbelwa V has installed Khetwayo Jere as Inkosi Mzikubola III amid a court battle with rival claimant Masabani Jere, who has filed for judicial review at the Mzuzu High Court Registry to determine the rightful heir to the throne.
Masabani filed the application in September 2026 under Order 19, Rule 20 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2017, and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
During the installation ceremony at Emchakachakeni headquarters on Saturday, the Ngoni paramount chief asked the M’mbelwa District Council to ensure Masabani vacates the chief’s palace, which was built by the government, to accommodate the newly installed chief.
The paramount chief said there are no immediate plans to build a new house for the chief.
”There have been issues surrounding this matter. Today’s events mark another chapter in the history of the people of Mzikubola. Unite them and work with everyone,” Inkosi yaMakhosi M’mbelwa said.
”Most developmental projects have suffered in this area. There is now a government 5 billion kwacha Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Lobby the councilors to bring electricity to your area for socioeconomic growth,” he said.
District Commissioner Emmanuel Bulukutu of the M’mbelwa District Council urged the newly installed chief to promote peace and coexist with Masabani if he is to foster development.
On the house now occupied by Masabani, Bulukutu said the council will sit down administratively to map the way forward.
In an interview on Sunday, Masabani told Atlas that he is not moved by the order to vacate because he is the rightful occupant of the house, which was constructed during the reign of former President Kamuzu Banda in the 1980s and given to his family as a gift.
”I have stayed in this house for a long period, and if need be, Inkosi yaMakhosi should write to me through his advisers, and my legal counsel will advise on the way forward,” Masabani said.
On the installation, Masabani, who brought the chieftaincy dispute to court, said he awaits the court’s determination, claiming he is the rightful ruler.
”I can’t comment much on this wrangle, bearing in mind that the matter is in court. Regardless of any outcome, I will respect it, being a law-abiding citizen,” Masabani said.
The chieftaincy dispute over the Mzikubola throne dates back to 2000, following the death of Inkosi Mzikubola, Chifwede Jere, who was Masabani’s father.
Several people have acted on the throne, including Msafili Jere and Kaphulika Jere, before Masabani returned from working as a civil servant to sit on the throne.
However, Zoba Jere, Khetwayo’s father, took the matter to court, arguing that Masabani was not the rightful heir because his mother’s marriage did not follow the Ngoni tradition of passing through a kraal.
The case had been dragging on in the courts for more than 20 years until the government, through Local Government Minister Ben Phiri, installed Khetwayo Jere as Inkosi Mzikubola III in July,2026.
