Harare – June 17, 2025

Former Cabinet Minister Walter Mzembi has had his bail revoked after the Harare Magistrates Court ruled that he willfully defaulted court proceedings without a valid explanation.

Presiding over the matter, Magistrate Donald Ndirowei said Mzembi failed to justify his prolonged absence from court, despite submitting medical records. The court found that the attached documents could have only been relevant had he availed himself in 2019 — not six years later in 2025.

“There is a gap regarding what transpired with his medical report. The attached medical records would have sufficed if he had presented himself in 2019, not now,” Magistrate Ndirowei noted.

He further observed that Mzembi made no attempt to return to Zimbabwe and cancel the outstanding warrants of arrest after being discharged from medical care in Zambia in 2024.

“The court is not convinced he was as sick as he wants us to believe. He was, in fact, actively campaigning for Saviour Kasukuwere during the 2023 elections and was visibly present on social media,” the magistrate said.

Magistrate Ndirowei concluded that the State had successfully demonstrated, on a balance of probabilities, that Mzembi’s default was deliberate. “The accused’s submissions fall far short. The warrants of arrest are hereby confirmed, bail is revoked, and he is committed to prison pending trial,” he ruled.

Mzembi will now remain in custody as legal proceedings continue.