Zimbabwe’s justice minister has accused the country’s judiciary of being captured by foreign forces seeking to destabilise the government after the High Court ruled it was illegal to extend the tenure of the chief justice by five more years.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said in a strongly worded statement late on Saturday that the ruling was a typical case of overreach and that this was unacceptable to government.
Ziyambi stressed they would not accept the decision of the High Court stating that government would appeal the baseless and meaningless decision as early as Monday.
Ziyambi also said a certain group of judges always passed judgments that sought to tarnish the image of the government. He however did not name any names.
Three judges of the High Court said in a judgment on Saturday that Luke Malaba had ceased being a judge and chief justice after he turned 70 years old.
The ruling was a rare setback for President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has consistently denied opposition claims that he was seeking to influence the judiciary.
The timing of Ziyambi’s comments ahead of the appeal hearing by the Supreme Court could be viewed as a threat to judges.
Furthermore, critics say a rise in the arrest and prosecution of government opponents, is a sign that Mnangagwa is reverting to the authoritarian tendencies seen under his predecessor Mugabe.
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