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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter—
PUBLIC interviews to select a new Prosecutor-General will proceed today, with seven candidates eyeing the post after one of them withdrew from the race on the 11th hour. Mr Jacob Manzunzu, who is awaiting results of another interview that he participated in last year for the post of a High Court judge, found it prudent to step aside and allow the seven to battle it out.

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Secretary Justice Rita Makarau said Mr Manzunzu officially wrote to the Commission stating his position, hence only seven candidates will participate in the interviews.

“We are now ready for the interviews slated for Monday. We are now left with seven candidates following the official withdrawal of Mr Manzunzu in writing.

“He had also been interviewed for the post of a High Court judge and the results are still pending. So he felt it proper to withdraw from the interviews for the new PG,” said Justice Makarau.

The following seven aspiring PGs will participate in the interviews in Jacaranda Rooms 1 and 2 at Rainbow Towers: Mr Wilson Manase, Mr Charles Chinyama, Mrs Florence Ziyambi, Mr Misheck Hogwe, Ms Teclar Mapota, Mr Ray Goba and Mr Peter Mufunda.

The interview programme starts with an address by Chief Justice Luke Malaba, who also chairs the JSC.

Mr Chinyama will be the first to be interviewed at 9.15am, followed by acting PG Mr Goba.

After tea break, the panel will also interview Mr Hogwe and Mr Manase until lunch time.

The interviews will resume at 2pm with Ms Mapota and Mr Mufunda being asked questions.

Deputy PG, Mrs Ziyambi will be the last interviewee in terms of the programme.

President Mugabe early this year fired Mr Johannes Tomana from office for incompetence and misconduct.

The decision came after a disciplinary tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge Justice Moses Chinhengo found him to be unfit and no longer proper to continue holding the esteemed office.

Mr Tomana was last year suspended to allow the tribunal to hear and determine a litany of allegations levelled against him, chief among them being flagrant defiance of legitimate court orders.

The tribunal found him guilty before recommending his removal from office.

President Mugabe, through General Notice 292 of 2017 published in the Government Gazette, announced Mr Tomana’s expulsion.

The tribunal completed hearing evidence on February 8 this year.

Mr Tomana faced a slew of allegations ranging from criminal abuse of office and gross incompetence.

At least 23 witnesses testified before the tribunal in the matter.

Some of the witnesses who testified before the tribunal were Deputy Prosecutor-General Mrs Ziyambi, senior prosecutors in the Prosecutor-General’s Office and others who left Government service for private practice.

The tribunal sought to inquire into Mr Tomana’s conduct with respect to court orders issued by the High Court and Supreme Court in cases pitting Mr Francis Maramwidze versus Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and another; Telecel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd versus Attorney-General; and Professor Charles Muchemwa Nherera versus Jayesh Shah.

In Maramwidze’s case, Mr Tomana is accused of refusing or failing to issue him with a certificate for private prosecution as ordered by the High Court on May 14, 2014 in a rape case involving incarcerated former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe official Munyaradzi Kereke.