Ruling deals blow to Zimbabwe president
HARARE: Zimbabwe’s High Court has dealt a blow to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ruling his decision to extend Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s tenure by five years was invalid because it breached the constitution.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which employs all judges, said the decision means that Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza becomes acting chief justice pending the outcome of an appeal. This is a setback to Mnangagwa whose party changed the constitution to allow him to appoint senior judges without a public vetting process. The opposition accused Mnangagwa of seeking to influence the judiciary. Lawyers challenged a constitutional amendment that raised the retirement age of judges to 75 from 70, which allowed Mnangagwa to extend Malaba’s term.