Zimbabwe High Court Orders Chief Justice to Step Down

HARARE, ZIMABABWE - Zimbabwe’s High Court has ordered the country’s chief justice to step down after he reached 70 years of age, despite a recent constitutional amendment that appears to allow him to serve five more years.

The court's ruling Saturday came after human rights lawyer Musa Kika made an urgent application asking Zimbabwe Chief Justice Luke Malaba to step down. Kika was elated after the Saturday ruling outside the courtroom.      “This is a wonderful moment for us. I think it’s the vindication of the rights of the people. It’s a victory for the people of Zimbabwe, who are the stakeholders of the constitution who own this social contract. Our hope is that the powers that be, the executive, is going to respect the decision that has been made by a court of law. So, this is a defining moment for Zimbabwe. We hope that it heralds a new trajectory that we will witness going forward,” Kika said.   Thembinkosi Magwaliba, the lawyer representing Malaba and the Judicial Service Commission, which opposed Kika’s application, said he was unsure as to next steps.      “We do not know yet. We have to take instructions on that. The options are to live with the judgment or to appeal it,” Magwaliba said.      Malaba was not immediately available for comment.