By A Correspondent| Citizens Coalition for Change interim leader Jameson Timba has castigated President Emmerson Mnangagwa for tampering with judicial independence after one of the local online publications reported that he together with Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Women Affairs minister Monica Mutsvangwa summoned a High Court judge who was handling the case of Neville Mutsvangwa to State House.

Posting on X, Timba said what Mnangagwa did is an affront on the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

“News that a High court judge handling the bail application for a son of a Cabinet Minister was summoned to State House is both worrying and unacceptable. It is an affront on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. We should all be equal before the law,” said Timba.

Yesterday, a High Court judge, Justice Esther Muremba recused herself from the Neville Mutsvangwa bail application citing personal reasons.

It was later reported by a local online that she had been summoned to the State House where she was forced to face Mnangagwa, Ziyambi and Mutsvangwa who wanted to know how she was handling the Neville issue.

She later recused herself before she was due to make a ruling on Neville’s bail application.

This has resulted in Neville spending more time in prison as a new judge is expected to be allocated the case.

The opposition has often complained of judicial capture by the ruling Zanu PF with government critics including Job Sikhala, Hopewell Chin’ono, Jacob Ngarivhume, Makomborero Haruzivishe among others struggling to get bail in the lower courts.