The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has detained a lawyer for consulting a Sangoma, which is a fairly comical turn of events.
Linda Kovi, a legal officer at Kanoti & Partners, was taken into custody by ZACC and accused of impeding the administration of justice.
Kovi is accused of using Chief Dotito, a traditional healer, as well as ZACC police and court officials connected to her ongoing fraud case to injure a witness. Kovi just appeared in court on Friday to answer to these fresh allegations, although it is yet unknown how the hearing will turn out.
Zimbabweans were amused by the news of the lawyer’s incarceration for consulting a Sangoma, and many took to X (previously Twitter) to voice their humorous opinions on the subject. Here are a some of the amusing responses:
@Munya853:
Imhosva kuenda kun’anga nhai🤣🤣
@Malume_Ndlovu1:
I didn’t know ZACC was this superstitious 😂
@daddyhope:
In a country where billions of public fund dollars are looted every year, this is what Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption body is showcasing 🤣🤣🤣 When you tell someone who has never been to Zimbabwe this story, they will think that you are lying, they will say you are making it up!
Linda Kovi was initially arrested by ZACC in November 2023 on allegations of fraudulently acquiring a conversion certificate with the Zimbabwe Council for Legal Education. She was released on bail of US$300 by Harare Magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje.
Allegations are that Kovi graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Africa in Zambia in 2019.
To practice law in Zimbabwe, Kovi needed to acquire a certificate of conversion from the Council for Legal Education (CLE).
In 2020, she enrolled with the CLE and began taking conversion examinations. Kovi attempted four modules, including Common Law 1 and 2, Criminal Procedure and Evidence, in June 2020. She passed Common Law 2 but failed the other modules.
Later on, she attempted three more modules: Civil Procedure, Statutes, and Ethics, but was unsuccessful in all three. Furthermore, investigations revealed that she did not even take the Book-keeping module.
Undeterred, Kovi colluded with an unidentified employee of the Council for Legal Education and paid an undisclosed amount to have a certificate printed, despite only passing one module.
The Council for Legal Education employee then transferred the money to Huggins Hardwork Duri, who was also arrested and brought before the court.
Despite not passing the remaining seven modules, Kovi managed to obtain the certificate, which allowed her to approach the High Court of Zimbabwe and be admitted as a legal practitioner.
