Late last year, a somber mood engulfed the district following the death of two senior chiefs Chimaliro and Kapichi including TA Changata in a row.

Meanwhile, family members told Zodiak Online on Saturday that through peaceful engagements, they have now identified the next heirs to the thrones.

Traditional Authority Nanseta who is a family member of two chieftaincy clans of the Chimaliro and Kapichi said they have chosen Robert Kaphiyo to be T/A Chimaliro and Melvin Chimwanga as a new T/A Kapichi.

"Knowing that we cannot mourn forever, we sat down, discussed and amicably chose Robert Kaphiyo who is the brother to the departed chief Taurai Kaphiyo. This is because the chieftaincy has one family tree. Likewise, we did the same thing at Kapichi,” said TA Nanseta.

A Changata family member, senior chief Mphuka, said they have peacefully settled for Yohane Ntambe Bamusi to replace the departed chief.

He said: "As we speak, as Changata family, after the funeral we identified the next heir to the throne. We chose Yohane Ntambe Bamusi".

The chiefs said currently they are waiting for the government's approval and installations.

Meanwhile, Thyolo district commissioner Hudson Kuphanga has confirmed that they received the names and submitted them to the ministry of local government through the directorate of chiefs for endorsement before installation.

"After they mourned, we asked them to give us the names of the next chiefs and submitted them to the ministry of local government through directorate of chiefs for endorsement before installation," he confirmed.

In 2023, the country also lost some other senior chiefs in Nsanje, Chiradzulu, Lilongwe among others.