GOVERNMENT critic and dethroned Ntabazinduna traditional
leader Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni has protested the arrest of his lawyer Dumisani
Dube over the weekend describing it as an attempt to silence human rights
attorneys.
Dube, who is representing Ndiweni in his fight with his
brother Joram for the Ntabazinduna chieftainship, was dragged to court on
charges of allegedly fraudulently obtaining a default judgment for his client
at the High Court.
Dube was released on $5 000 bail alongside his co-accused
and client George Manyonga.
Ndiweni, who did time at Khami Maximum Prison last year for
malicious damage to property before Dube secured his release, on Monday
protested the arrest of his lawyer saying it was outrageous.
The dethroned chief was serving an 18-month jail term.
"The arrest of my legal practitioner is only but one
of the symptoms of a cancerous judicial system that has since lost its
independence. The principle of rule of law has merely become academic in our country,"
charged Ndiweni, who accuses President Emmerson Mnangagwa of rigging his way to
victory in the 2018 harmonised elections.
Government once challenged Ndiweni to join the political
terrain, accusing him of being an opposition activist.
Dube's arrest follows that of MDC Alliance leader Nelson
Chamisa's lawyer Thabani Mpofu, Tapiwa Makanza and Joshua Chirambwe on charges
of allegedly defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
His arrest came at a time concerns have been raised over an
increase in human rights violations by the police enforcing the COVID-19
lockdown measures.
"We cannot have a situation whereupon legal
practitioners can no longer carry out their work without fear of being
victimised or intimidated. I strongly condemn the hijacking of our judiciary
system in order to be used for the furtherance of personal vendettas,"
Ndiweni added.
"Justice
thrives on independence of the judiciary, that is why there is a principle
called separation of powers. The government must desist from using the
judiciary to further its own agendas. The government must stop its reign of
terror on legal practitioners."
Ndiweni is challenging his removal as Ntabazinduna chief by
the Local Government ministry that claimed that his chieftainship was being
contested by his elder brother who argues that he is the heir apparent to the
throne.
Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe (YLAZ) also condemned
the arrest and detention of legal practitioners and called on the government to
uphold the rule of law.
YLAZ, in a statement, said law enforcement agents want to
intimidate and frustrate the legal practitioners from discharging their duties
without fear or prejudice.
"Set against the backdrop of a week of global protests
against State brutality and discrimination, the Young Lawyers Association of
Zimbabwe (YLAZ) is increasingly concerned by the continued deterioration of
civil liberties in Zimbabwe and in particular the sustained attack on the legal
profession," YLAZ said.
"The events of the last week create an impression of
an assault against the legal profession which negatively affects lawyers'
ability to represent litigants without fear, which actions endanger the future
of our profession.
"In the past week alone, at least six lawyers have
been targeted by the police directly in relation to the exercise of their
ordinary work as lawyers. Four lawyers, namely Advocate Thabani Mpofu, Tapiwa
Makanza, Joshua Chirambwe and Dumisani Dube, were arrested and charged with
obstructing the course of justice and another two lawyers, Choice Damiso and
Lawman Chimuriwo were taken in for questioning by the police and later released
without charge."
YLAZ said the action by the State brought the independence
and impartiality of the justice system into disrepute.
"We remind the Prosecutor-General of his
constitutional obligation to exercise his functions impartially and without
fear, favour, prejudice or bias as required by section 260 of the
Constitution," the association said.
YLAZ also condemned the partisan use of the police and army
by the government to "settle" civil disputes between opposition
political parties. Newsday
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