Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance has commented on Chief Justice Luke Malaba ouster case saying the judge should voluntarily step down to preserve the integrity of Zimbabwe’s judicial system.
He speaks amid a constitutional crisis that manifested in President Emmerson Mnangagwa extending Malaba’s term of office despite the learned judge turning 70 years.
Mnangagwa used the contested amendments to the constitution to extend the top judge’s term, but a panel of High Court judges, Happias Zhou, Esther Charehwa and Edith Mushore, ruled that the move was illegal.
Malaba returned to work last week after the government appealed against the judgement.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum filed an urgent High Court application seeking to have the chief justice jailed for contempt of court.
On Friday, the case took another twist when 17 Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appealed the ruling that ended Malaba’s time as chief justice.
Legal experts said the appeal by the judges meant that they cannot hear the case, a development that has the potential to deepen the constitutional crisis. Speaking on Malaba ouster case, Chamisa said:
_The culture of leaving is important and must be upheld in offices of public trust and senior government officials in [permanent] secretaries, ministers, parastatal bosses, the registrar general, clerk of Parliament and even the judiciary._
_People must know that it is important to serve and leave. It is important to let go._
Chamisa said public officials should respect the rule of law.
Although Malaba is said to be back at work, officials took turns to acknowledge Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza as the acting chief justice during the unveiling of Mbuya Nehanda’s statue by Mnangagwa on Africa Day.
More: Pindula News
