Lawyers are challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s appointment of Deputy Prosecutor-General Michael Reza as the new chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), following the displacement of Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, who now serves as the Prosecutor-General. They argue that the appointment is unconstitutional.
President Mnangagwa made the appointment under Subsection 1 (a) of section 254 of the constitution. However, legal experts contend that Reza lacks the requisite seven years of legal practice experience necessary for such a role.
According to one lawyer who spoke to The NewsHawks, Reza only began practicing law after applying to join the Law Society of Zimbabwe in 2020 and registering as a lawyer either in 2020 or 2021. This implies that he has only accumulated three or four years of legal experience, falling short of the mandatory seven-year threshold for a ZACC commissioner or chairperson.
While Michael Reza holds an LLB degree from the University of South Africa and an LLM degree from Midlands State University, these qualifications alone do not meet the criteria for ZACC membership.
ALSO READ: Man(79) From Igusi Village Rapes and Impregnated Granddaughter(12)
The lawyer asserted that Mnangagwa’s appointment of Reza as ZACC chair is unconstitutional due to his lack of qualifications. The lawyer emphasized the necessity for ZACC commissioners, especially those with legal backgrounds, to meet the constitutional requirements.
Moreover, the absence of experienced legal professionals in ZACC raises concerns about the commission’s effectiveness in combating corruption. Former commissioner Jessie Majome, who met the legal qualifications, was appointed chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, leaving ZACC without a legally qualified member.
This instance is not an isolated incident of constitutional violations by President Mnangagwa. In the past, he exceeded constitutional limits by appointing unelected ministers to his cabinet, prompting criticism and demands to rectify these unlawful appointments.
