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Jacob Manzunzu

Senior Court Reporter
The public interviews for men and women seeking to be appointed as judges to fill in six vacant posts at the High Court bench ended at the weekend with 44 out of the 46 candidates that were nominated making it to the interviews.

Two others could not make it after one realised he had reached the retirement age of 70 years, while the other had problems with the law governing the operations of lawyers.

Among the well known lawyers interviewed were Tawanda Chitapi, Davison Foroma, Priscillah Munangati-Manongwa, Silvia Chirawu from the NGO sector, Jester Helen Charewa the current executive director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Jacob Manzunzu, the Deputy Registrar of Botswana High Court and Sunsley Zisengwe, who was the only candidate with first class law degrees at both undergraduate and masters levels.

Manzunzu had an impressive CV, particularly on administration of the High Court both in Zimbabwe and Botswana where he is currently serving.

But his day was spoiled after he was served with court papers at the venue of the interviews.

Officials from the Prosecutor-General accosted Manzunzu as he entered the interview room to serve him with the court papers in the case in which the prosecution is seeking a review of the criminal case he was acquitted of two years ago.

The case is pending in the High Court.

Earlier reports had indicated that Manzunzu had been arrested and served with summons to appear in court for fraud charges as he emerged from the interview room.

Manzunzu was in July 2012, cleared of fraud and corruption by a regional court in Zimbabwe following a trial for alleged underhand dealings while he was working as Registrar of the High Court more than 10 years ago.

Manzunzu told The Herald at the weekend that he was only served with court papers to do with an application for review of proceedings in the matter in which he was acquitted in 2012 by regional magistrate Mr Clever Tsikwa.

In that case, he said, the trial magistrate cleared him on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to prove a solid case against him.

“I have come to clear my name and give you the accurate details,” he said. “First and foremost I was never arrested, the Prosecutor General never issued me with summons to appear in court on fraud charges.

“I am not facing any charges before any court. What I was served with from the Attorney General’s Office as an interested party was an application for review of the proceedings before the regional magistrate during my trial not summons as earlier reported.”