Judge’s sudden resignation opens a Pandora’s box

📅 Published: August 21, 2025

📰 Source: thestandard

Curated by AllZimNews.com

Makonese stepped down but Chinamora remained on the bench, handling High Court cases.

This was despite recommendations by a judges’ panel in February.

Human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa also wrote to Mnangagwa and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) a fortnight ago to rein in Chinamora.

But the former judge tendered his resignation six days ago after the President appointed a tribunal last week on Tuesday.

However, sources this week indicated that Chief Justice Luke Malaba ordered Chinamora to clear cases he was handling, among them, reserved judgements.

The Independent is reliably informed that lawyers dealing with the Delta complaint advised by Advocate Thabani Mpofu were planning to write to the JSC and the Supreme Court registering displeasure with the way the Chinamora case was being managed.

Mpofu was representing Delta Beverages and Schweppes Zimbabwe in a legal dispute with South African company, Blakey Plastics.

Chinamora, who heard the case, ruled in favour of Blakey Plastics, which was resisting the cancellation of its contract to supply Delta with plastic materials over five years ago.

Sources told the Independent that the lawyers representing Delta were questioning why the Supreme Court heard an appeal over a contested judgment.

Rather, the lawyers want to push for a fresh hearing of the case at the High Court.

A panel set up by the JSC to review the complaint made up of judges Anne-Marie Gowora, Alfas Chitakunye, and Custom Kachambwa concluded that Chinamora had a case to answer.

Delta lawyers, according to sources, also claim that lack of clarity on the matter has seen Blakey Plastics using the same High Court judgment against the beverage company despite the registered complaint that led to the setting up of a tribunal. “They are also worried that Chinamora’s resignation was just a way of avoiding going through a disciplinary process but the confusion triggered by the judgment remains,” the source said.