MPEZENI IV DIES AT 75, ENDING OVER A 44-YEAR REIGN ON THE NGONI THRONE
ZAMBIA has lost one of its longest-serving and most influential traditional leaders following the death of Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV at the age of 75.
Chief Nzamane IV announced the death of the traditional leader on behalf of the Ngoni people in Chipata today.
“Our Ngoni people, I wish to inform you that Inkosi YaMakhosi has passed on. I am mourning, and all his children are also mourning. Details surrounding funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course,” he said.
Born David Njengambazo Jere, Mpezeni IV was installed as Inkosi YaMakhosi (King of Kings) of the Ngoni people of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on June 19, 1982, at the age of 31. He succeeded his father, Paramount Chief Pontino Jere (Mpezeni III), who passed away when he was 29 years old while he was based in Livingstone, Southern Province, where he was working at the time.
His coronation took place at Ephendukeni Palace and was officiated by his brother, Paramount Chief M’Mbelwa of Malawi. It was witnessed by Zambia’s founding President, Kenneth Kaunda, who supported the new leader’s transition to the throne.
Chief Mpezeni IV went on to become the longest-serving Paramount Chief in Zambia, spending more than 40 years on the throne. Under his leadership, the Nc’wala Traditional Ceremony, held annually at Mtenguleni in Chipata District, grew into one of the country’s most prominent cultural events. The ceremony celebrates the first harvest, honours ancestral spirits, and commemorates the Ngoni migration from present-day South Africa.
He often told his story of how he was informed of his father’s death while he was in Livingstone doing piecework and was later taken to Malawi, where he was formally prepared for leadership before returning to assume his role as king.
Throughout his reign, he worked with successive Zambian presidents and consistently called for peace, unity, and reconciliation among citizens. He also promoted agriculture among his people, inspired by advice from the late former President Kenneth Kaunda at the time of his installation.
In recent years, he dedicated his efforts to intensify the preservation of the Ngoni history. In February 2025 leading to the celebration of the Nc’wala ceremony, he led the historic crossing of the Zambezi River at Feira in Luangwa District, commemorating the journey made by King Zwangendaba and the Ngoni people when they entered present-day Zambia in 1835. The event was the first of its kind since the introduction of the Ncwala Ceremony.
And in February this year, Chief Mphezeni IV led another historic event when he presided over the first public remembrance ceremony for his late great-great-great grandfather King Zwangendaba at his recognised burial site in Nachipeta Village, Nakonde District. The gathering brought together descendants, traditional leaders and members of the public to honour the founding Ngoni king nearly 180 years after his migration from present-day South Africa.
The death of Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV has brought to an end one of the longest and most influential traditional reigns in Zambia, leaving behind a legacy of cultural preservation, unity and leadership among the Ngoni people.
ABIGAIL CHIFUSA / DAILY MAIL