However, in a statement issued recently, Secretary-General for the cultural group, Impi Kandi Padambo, says the sacrificial Mkhwisulo ceremony at Inkosi ya Makhosi Gomani 1 resting place will still take place at a date to be announced.

Padambo says the sacrificial ceremony will be performed by aMakhosi led by Ngwenyama, Inkosi ya Makhosi Gomani V. Other Maseko Ngonis and other people will attend by invitation.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the unavoidable preventative and precautionary measures that have to be complied with and in consideration of the paramount importance of the health safety and general welfare of Maseko Ngonis in and outside Malawi, the Umhlangano ceremony for the year 2021, will not be held," reads the statement.

The annual cultural festival, which is held every first Saturday of September, brings together Maseko Ngonis from Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa and is aimed at promoting and preserving the Ngoni culture.