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Fidelis Munyoro-Chief Court Reporter

HIGH Court Judge Justice Rogers Manyangadze is one of the six new judges sworn in last week to sit on the bench of the SADC Administrative Tribunal (Sadcat). 

Justice Manyangadze was sworn-in along with Justices Adelino Fernando Muhongo of Angola, Mumcy Mju Dlamini of Eswatini, Gaitree Jugessur-Manna of Mauritius, Albano Macie of Mozambique and Latifa Mansoor of Tanzania.

The swearing in ceremony was conducted at an extra-ordinary session at the Sadcat chambers in Gaborone, Botswana last Friday.

 President of the Sadcat, Justice Sanji Mmasenono Monageng, presided over the swearing in ceremony.

Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony, Justice Monageng expressed her profound gratitude to the retiring Sadcat judges who have served the institution with professionalism, dedication and judicial expertise. 

The newly sworn in judges of Sadcat were appointed by the Sadc Council of Ministers during its meeting held in August in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sadcat was established by a resolution of the Sadc Summit held in Botswana on August 18, 2015 pursuant to Article 9(2) and 10(6) of the Sadc Treaty. 

Sadcat has jurisdiction to hear and determine labour disputes between the Sadc Secretariat or any of its institutions, as an employer, and an employee.

 This includes a dispute relating to the contract of employment of a staff or to the terms of appointment of such staff member. 

The tribunal is headed by an elected judge president and vice president who are assisted by a secretariat. 

The regional bloc’s tribunal was formed five years ago after Sadc member states agreed to negotiate a new protocol to reconstitute the tribunal to have a fresh mandate.

The new regional court’s jurisdiction is now confined only to any disputes arising between member countries with respect to the interpretation of the Sadc Treaty and any Sadc protocols.

Sadc adopted the decision following complaints by Zimbabwe over the previous tribunal’s rulings that sought to nullify the revolutionary land reform programme launched by the Government at the turn of the millennium.

The previous Sadc Tribunal courted controversy when it nullified the land reform and handed down judgments that were in conflict with Zimbabwe’s constitutional position on land reform.

Some 79 white former commercial farmers led by the late Mike Campbell, took their cases to the tribunal, which was based in Windhoek, Namibia, in a bid to reverse the agrarian reforms after the State acquired their farms for redistribution to the landless majority.