HARARE – Chief Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe was arrested on Friday charged with corruption for allowing two former Cabinet ministers to serve their internships at the Harare Magistrates Court.
Guvamombe, who is due to appear before a court on Saturday, has been suspended for four months with half pay while the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) investigates his conduct.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said Guvamombe faced a charge of criminal abuse of office, for allegedly approving the secondment of former Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and former Information Communication Technology Minister Supa Mandiwanzira – both facing criminal charges at the same court – to the court registry between December 17, 2018 and February 15, 2019.
Kasukuwere and Mandiwanzira are both law students at the University of Zimbabwe.
Announcing Guvamombe’s suspension, the JSC said he was aware the two men were facing criminal charges. In the case of Mandiwanzira, it was Guvamombe who presided over his initial court appearance.
Kasukuwere, who left the ministerial post when a military coup toppled former President Robert Mugabe in November 2017, is facing four counts of criminal abuse of office charges relating to land parcelled out to former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s sister, Shuvai Gumbochuma.
Mandiwanzira, who was minister until July 30 last year, is accused of directing NetOne to pay a South African consultancy firm $4 million without following tender procedures. Prosecutors allege he had some shareholding interest in Megawatt Private Limited, the company allegedly engaged without going to tender.
