PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE yesterday committed one of the highest levels of contempt against the courts when he threatened High Court judges currently processing a petition by expelled ZANU PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa and former Spokesman Rugare Gumbo.
Mugabe denigrated any judge who will handle Mutasa’s papers triggering the first desecration of the respected courts by an elected government official and a disregard of the law and court procedures.
The development now attracts a charge on Mugabe, legal experts warned when they also said Mugabe committed subjudice and abuse of office by commenting on the case while it is being heard when he said the court challenge by Mutasa and Gumbo, is a waste of resources that is bound to fail as no court could interfere with disciplinary matters of the revolutionary party.
Signalling he would cause every judge who chooses to hear the case to be expelled, Mugabe said he would immediately seek to humiliate such a judge. He spoke saying “if a judge or magistrate was going to consider the matter for possible hearing, he would immediately “question his or her educational qualifications”.
Mugabe said this while addressing thousands of people gathered at Chinyika Ranch, Ward 2, Chirumanzu-Zibagwe Constituency, to witness a ground-breaking technology, the Exothermic (Alluminathemic) demonstration by African Chrome Fields (ACF), meant to beneficiate chrome ore to ferrochrome.
Mugabe said Zanu-PF had proper structures and a constitution to be followed when dealing with disciplinary matters.
Messrs Mutasa and Gumbo, former secretary for Administration former secretary for Information and publicity respectively, last week took Mugabe and Zanu-PF to court, challenging their recent dismissal and seeking nullification of the party’s congress and its resolutions.
“Regai kumboita hanya neavo vanoti tinonomhan’arira party….ndiani akamboti policy yeparty, bumbiro reparty rinotibatanidza, ibumbiro renyika? Hutongi hwayo huri mubumbiro macho ndiro rinoratidza kuti kanamunhu aine godo, aine chigumbu kubva kubranch, anotongwa kubranch ikoko, kudistricts, kuprovince, zvose zvakarongwa province yopira nyaya kuCentral Committee, youya kuPolitburo. Politburo ndiyo inedisciplinary committee.
“Nyaya inokwanisa kubva ikoko yoenda kuCentral Committee yobva yozoenda kuCongress. Hapana nyaya inoenda kucourt inoenda kunamagistrate. Tati hatichakuda kumusangano wedu wakuenda kunamagistrate. Iye magistrate kuti abate nyaya iyoyo ndinoti aah wakafunda kupi?” Mugabe said.
The legal challenge filed at the High Court by the pair’s lawyers came a few hours after Mutasa was stripped of his Headlands parliamentary seat alongside his nephew Hurungwe West MP Temba Mliswa by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda after Zanu PF Secretary for Administration Ignatius Chombo notified parliament of the expulsion of the two.
He said the national laws gave the magistrates and judge the power to preside over cases, adding :”Zvekuti uzotonga zveZanu PF wazvizivira kupi?”
“Zvino iwewe kana wanzi hatichakuda mumusangano hongu unosungirwa kumhan’ara asi unomhan’ara kupartyka. Nyaya yako inogona kusvika KuCongress kana isipo kuCentral Committee.
“Zvinotonyadza kuti iwe wavakupembera, kuti munhu iyeye chokwadi munhu aive pamusoro peparty aine hukuru muparty asingazivi kuti nyaya dzeparty dzinotongwa muparty dzenyika mumacourt.”
Mugabe said the court challenge was a waste of resources.
“Kana fuza risingarayike regera rinokanda mari yaro mudziva zvichinzi ndimo mune hove inozobuda yawanda asingazive kuti simbi hadzipinduke dzichiva huni,” Mugabe said.