30/05/2026
MPEZENI IV: The end of a 44-year reign
PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni IV of the Ngoni people has died at the age of 75, leaving behind a wife, one child and grandchildren.
Senior Chief Nzamane, who happened to be the second in command to the late Chief has announced at a press briefing.
The traditional leader died in the early hours of today at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka.
His body has since been moved to Maina Soko Military Hospital.
Mpezeni IV, who ruled for 44 years, ascended to the throne in 1982 following the death of his father, who had reigned for four decades.
Born David Njengembazo Jele, the chief spent much of his early life in his village of Efeni in Chipata District before later working in a factory in Livingstone.
He was crowned at the age of 31 in a ceremony involving Ngoni royal figures from Zambia and Malawi, with the presence of Zambia’s first Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
According to Ngoni historian Gumbi Jele, the succession process following the death of Mpezeni III in 1981 took place after a year long mourning period, traditionally referred to as the “year of the witch-hunt,” though he noted that modern times may alter how long the process takes.
In an interview with Kalemba, Jele described how royal delegates travelled to Livingstone to inform the future chief of his destiny.
"When Inkosi YaMakhosi Mphezeni III died on June 11, 1981, the AmaZwangendaba Nation of Zambia was on its knees as it mourned its monarch, who had been at the helm of power for 40 years."
"As per Ngoni cultural rites, it had to find a successor after the one year mourning period that is also called the 'year of the witch-hunt', according to the Nguni calendar of events. Whilst destiny was smiling at him, Mpezeni IV was oblivious of the happenings in his native village of Efeni in Chipata district as he was 1,051 kilometres away, in the southern city of Livingstone where he was working in a factory," shared Jele.
"After careful deliber