🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Hichilema Confirms Death of Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV
President Hakainde Hichilema has confirmed the death of Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV, ending hours of speculation following widespread reports that the veteran traditional leader had died at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) in Lusaka.
Until the President’s statement, there had been no official confirmation from either the Ngoni Royal Establishment or government authorities, despite reports circulating across social media throughout the day.
Speaking Saturday via a Facebook statement, President Hichilema described the late monarch as a towering figure in Zambia’s cultural and traditional landscape.
“We have received with deep sadness, the passing of His Majesty Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV of the Ngoni people,” President Hichilema said.
“His Majesty was a revered custodian of Ngoni culture and heritage, and a unifying symbol of Zambia’s rich cultural diversity. His distinguished service and leadership will remain an enduring part of our national heritage.”
The President said the nation stands united with the Ngoni Royal Establishment, the bereaved family and the Ngoni people during the period of mourning.
The death of Mpezeni IV marks the end of one of the longest traditional reigns in Zambia’s modern history.
Known by his royal name Inkosi ya Makhosi Mpezeni IV (Njengembaso Jere), he ascended to the Ngoni throne in 1982 following the death of his father, Mpezeni III. Over the next 44 years, he became one of the country’s most influential traditional leaders, presiding over a period of significant social, political and cultural change.
His authority extended far beyond Eastern Province.
As Paramount Chief of the Ngoni people, Mpezeni IV served as the custodian of a royal lineage tracing back to Zwangendaba, the legendary Ngoni warrior-king who led his people from present-day South Africa into Central Africa during the 19th century. The Mpezeni dynasty later emerged as the dominant branch of the Ngoni kingdom in present-day Zambia.
For many Zambians, however, his name became synonymous with the Nc’wala Ceremony.
Held annually near Chipata, the ceremony celebrates the first fruits of the harvest and remains one of Zambia’s most important traditional events. Under Mpezeni IV’s leadership, Nc’wala evolved from a cultural gathering into an internationally recognised festival attracting heads of state, diplomats, traditional leaders and visitors from across Southern Africa.
His reign also spanned virtually every major chapter of Zambia’s contemporary political history.
He served during the administrations of Presidents Kenneth Kaunda, Frederick Chiluba, Levy Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata, Edgar Lungu and Hakainde Hichilema, making him one of the few traditional leaders whose influence crossed multiple political generations.
Successive governments frequently consulted him on issues of culture, traditional governance, community development and national unity.
The title “Mpezeni” itself carries profound historical significance. It originates from Mpezeni I, the famed Ngoni king who resisted British colonial expansion in the late nineteenth century before eventually signing a treaty following military defeat in 1898. Every successor inherits both the title and the responsibility of preserving one of Southern Africa’s most influential royal traditions.
As tributes begin pouring from across Zambia and beyond, attention will inevitably turn to succession within the Ngoni Royal Establishment.
For now, however, the focus remains on the life of a monarch who spent more than four decades on the throne and whose reign became woven into the story of modern Zambia itself.
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