IT NEVER RAINS BUT POURS FOR E.D

HUMILIATED:

Mnangagwa

My President has of late been having bad days in the office.

Last week, he was reduced to a mere spectator at the official launch of the Kazungula Bridge. Instead of joining his fellow comrades, President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Zambia’s Edgar Lungu in cutting the ribbons to officially open the bridge, President Emmerson Mnangawa could only imagine what it would have been like to be part of the two.

To add salt to the injury, he became a subject to ridicule on social media with some unruly people tagging him on some of the videos mocking him.

While he was still licking his wounds, on Saturday he suffered yet another major blow when his bid to extend the term of the Chief Justice, Justice Luke Malaba, was thwarted by three High Court judges.

For reasons best known to him, Mnangagwa wanted the 70-year-old Malaba to stay in office for another five years, after hastily amending the constitution.

However, the former top judge was elbowed out as the judges who heard the matter ruled that he had ceased being the Chief Justice when he reached the retirement age of 70. The matter had been brought by the Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe and the Human Rights NGO Forum.

JUDGES

The judges ruled that Mnangagwa had violated the constitution by extending Malaba’s term considering that the constitutional amendment giving him the powers had been hastily done and that in any case, the incumbents could not benefit from the changes.

As soon as the judgment was delivered, social media went on overdrive with most people hailing the ruling. It was and still is a wonder why the chief justice would want to cling on to the seat, behaviour synonymous with politicians.

Of course he has a politician behind him but he should have maintained the little that was left of his dignity and gracefully retired.

And as expected, the government was not going to just concede defeat in this matter as the Justice minister threw tantrums and accused the judges of being captured and being agents the West while Presidential Spokesperson, George Charamba, tweeted, “Enjoy while it lasts, we are fighters, trust us”.

We know that some of these people can behave like wounded buffalos but whatever the case, they have been humiliated and exposed.

While they are appealing the judgement, the question remains; What is so special about a 70-year-old judge that they would want him to hang on until he is 75 unless if there are sinister motives?

By the way, everything seems to have a political angle in our country.

This latest episode in the judiciary has been seen by some as clear evidence that the two men at the top; that is Mnangawa and his deputy, Constantine Chiwenga, are in a serious fight for power. So, for others, it’s Mnangagwa 0 - Chiwenga 1.