HARARE – Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri risks a six-month jail term after allegedly defying a High Court order to pay US$25,000 in compensation to a victim of the army’s deadly August 2018 crackdown.
Muchinguri consented in July 2025 to compensate Zakeyo Mutimutema, a former Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) employee, who sued her alongside Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe and Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba. The claim arose from injuries he suffered when soldiers opened fire to quell protests over alleged electoral irregularities on August 1, 2018.
Mutimutema was inside his office at Gorlon House in Harare when a stray bullet shattered windows, sending glass fragments into his eyes. He sustained serious injuries and partially lost his eyesight. The labour law specialist later underwent three unsuccessful surgeries to remove the embedded glass.
Represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Obey Shava, Mutimutema has now approached the High Court seeking to have Muchinguri declared in contempt of court for failing to honour the settlement. He wants her committed to prison for six months, with the sentence wholly suspended on condition she pays the amount within seven days.
In his application, Mutimutema argues that the minister has wilfully disobeyed a lawful court order and ignored repeated demands for payment, conduct he says undermines the authority of the court.
A commission of inquiry led by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe, appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to investigate the post-election violence, recommended compensation for victims and prosecution of those responsible after at least six people were killed by soldiers.
To date, no victims or their families are known to have been compensated, and no perpetrators have been prosecuted.
