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Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
One of the candidates aspiring to be a judge voluntarily gave evidence that could be prejudicial to his prospects after he accused the Law Society of Zimbabwe of unfairly suspending him, as public interviews for High Court judges entered their second day yesterday.
Mr Tendai Toto alleged acts of injustice by the LSZ, which he said has potential to scuttle his appointment following his nomination.

This emerged after Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba asked Mr Toto to shed light on the disclosure he made in his papers that he was convicted by the lawyers’ regulating body for improper conduct.

Mr Toto, who exuded confidence throughout the interview, opened up and told the five-member panel of the Judicial Service Commission that the LSZ charged him with misconduct.

“I was charged with abscondment of practice,” he said.

“I was not formally or informally charged.”

Mr Toto continued: “The law society proceeded to try me in absentia and without my knowledge, found me guilty of misconduct, mitigated on my behalf and nonetheless sentenced me to the effect of suspending me to run a law firm as a principal for three years subject to yearly reviews.”

When asked by Chief Justice Chidyausiku to shed more light on the charges, Mr Toto narrated how he left the country for South Africa while on leave to run a fuel business.

On what value he would bring to the bench if he made it, Mr Toto said: “As a young lawyer at 41 I go in there and bridge the gap that might exist in the event of any retirement of senior judges.

“For example, with the competence in me, assuming today some viruses are attacking 55-year olds, I will be able to bridge that gap and ensure the country moves forward with justice delivery system.”

The public interviews for candidates aspiring to be judges of the High Court started on Wednesday and to date 22 aspirants have been interviewed.

On Wednesday, one of the candidates was seeking to be employed for only a year before reaching his retirement age.

The Chief Justice queried 68-year-old lawyer Mr Sampson Mlaudzi’s quest to be appointed a judge only a year away from reaching the retirement age of 70, but the elderly man insisted that age was just but a number.

A Chinhoyi lawyer of 15 years experience, Mr Tapiwa Muchineripi of Muchineripi and Associates, stunned panellists after he indicated that he had never stepped foot in the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court despite his strong desire to be appointed judge of the High Court.

At least 46 candidates will have been interviewed by the end of the exercise.