High Court judge Justice Edith Mushore has not reported for duty for close to three months without leave, a development that has prompted her bosses to allocate some of her cases to other judges.
Justice Edith Mushore, who is attached to the Family Law
Court at the High Court, last reported for work mid-June.
Upon being asked, the judge indicated she was unwell but
she has not sent a sick note to her employer up to now.
Three separate letters were written by her superiors at the
High Court asking her to at least send a driver with the doctor’s note, but
without success.
Sources told The Herald that whenever the Judicial Service
Commission (JSC) sent representatives to her house, they were denied entry.
JSC secretary Mr Walter Chikwana has confirmed the judge is
nowhere to be found.
“I can confirm that Justice Mushore has not been reporting
for work since June and we are trying to find out from her what is really
happening.
“We are failing to contact her. She is not picking calls
and we are making every effort to get in touch with her,” said Mr Chikwana.
The Herald tried Justice Mushore’s NetOne number several
times without success. The number was said to be “out of service”.
The Herald understands the head of the High Court”s Family
Law division Justice Amy Tsanga wrote Justice Mushore a letter in June asking
her to explain her absence from work.
Judges cannot be absent from work for more than three days
without official leave.
If they are unwell, they should at least tender a doctor’s
report confirming sickness.
In June, the motion court failed to sit after Justice
Mushore was in no show.
She reportedly failed to attend to a chamber application
that had been allocated to her until her assistant sent the file to the Judge
President.
A number of cases were reportedly re-allocated to other
judges.
It is understood the judge upon being asked, she indicated
she was unwell but up to now she has not yet sent a report from her doctor.
At one time, she reportedly told her seniors at the High
Court that she was contemplating to resign but no resignation has so far been
tendered.
No response has been received from Justice Mushore.
A month later, the Judge President of the High Court wrote
again to Justice Mushore reminding her that her absence from work without
official explanation amounts to misconduct.
She was even asked to send her driver with the sick note
but to no avail. On August 12 this year, the Judge President informed Chief
Justice Luke Malaba of the development.
The Chief Justice then demanded an explanation from Justice
Mushore in writing but up to now she has not responded.
Justice Mushore was appointed to the bench in 2015. Before
her appointment as a judge, she worked as a legal practitioner in private legal
practice.
Justice Mushore also practised as an advocate, based at the
Advocates Chambers in Harare. Herald
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