HARARE – The Supreme Court will this Tuesday hear an appeal by the Justice Minister and the Attorney General (AG) who are both challenging a High Court order directing them to submit a draft Bill on the code of conduct for senior government officials to cabinet ministers.
This was confirmed in a statement by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum which said Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Attorney General Prince Machaya were appealing a High Court ruling “ordering them to craft a code of conduct for vice presidents and ministers.”
Lawyer Nyasha Chiramba dragged Ziyambi and Machaya to court after state vice president Kembo Mohadi in 2021 was forced into an ignominious resignation from the top job following a sex scandal involving married women.
The two were given 45 days starting June 8, 2022, to draft the Bill but they ignored the order prompting the suit for contempt of court.
They lodged an appeal through the Supreme Court.
In a court application, Chiramba who was then a law student, demanded that they should enact a law that regulates how ministers conduct themselves.
In submitting his application, Chiramba relied on section 106 (3) of the Constitution which requires the regulation of the conduct of vice presidents, ministers and deputy ministers.
Chiramba submitted that the senior officials were involved in different types of misconduct including sexual misconduct and abuse of State resources, hence any errant behaviour by the holders of the country’s lofty offices should be kept in check.
High Court judge David Mangota ruled in his favour and ordered the minister and AG to submit to the cabinet for consideration the Bill envisaged by section 106(3) of the constitution of Zimbabwe within 45 days from the date of his order.
The two were supposed to submit to the cabinet this Bill by August 17, 2022.
