Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
Elias Bepura has been installed as the 7th substantive Chief Bepura at a colourful ceremony held in Guruve on Wednesday after his official appointment by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the 8th of August last year.
Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Honourable Christopher Magomo who was the guest of honour urged Chiefs to be guided by the traditional leaders’ law in their operations.
“Chieftainship is not for us to give land in areas that are not supposed to. We must observe our jurisdictions, if we forget, let’s read the Traditional Leaders Act. When a chief is appointed by the President, they must be respected and chiefs have a role to drive development.”
Fellow traditional leaders congratulated their colleague while his subjects brought various gifts in honour of the newly installed Chief Bepura.
“Let me congratulate the Bepura family, you have done well without noise and with respect. This is what we expect in all families in this region, this feeds into the province and the nation at large,” said Chief Negomo.
Chief Musana said, “I congratulate Chief Bepura who was officially installed today, as you have been installed follow the law, follow traditional ways, you should be approachable, loved by people, do not oppress people, do the will of the people.”
The newly installed Chief takes over from Kenneth Bepura who died in 2018.
The Bepura clan belongs to the Kore Kore ethnic group and the chieftainship can be traced back to 1911 in Doma, Mhangura after being officially registered in the Lomagundi district.
The family migrated to Guruve after the colonialists usurped their land under the Land Settlement Act of 1941.
They were accepted by Chief Chipuriro who gave them land
