Attorney-General of Zimbabwe
| Attorney-General of Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|
| |
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| Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs | |
| Member of |
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| Reports to | The President |
| Seat | Mgandane Dlodlo Building, Harare |
| Appointer | The President |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Zimbabwe |
| Precursor | Minister of Justice |
| Inaugural holder | Ahmed Ebrahim |
| Formation | 1980 |
| Website | attorneygeneral |
The Office of the Attorney-General of Zimbabwe (AG) falls under the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of Zimbabwe. The Attorney-General is the chief legal advisor of the government of Zimbabwe.
Historically the Attorney-General sat as a member of the Senate, but under the current Constitution may sit and speak in either the Senate or the National Assembly, but may not vote. The Attorney-General may also attend Cabinet - but has no vote on Cabinet matters - and, with the leave of the court concerned, appear as a friend of the court in any civil proceedings to which the Government is not a party.[1]
The current Attorney-General since 2023 is Virginia Mabiza, the first woman to hold the position.[2][3]
History
[edit | edit source]Ahmed Ebrahim, appointed by Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, was the first Attorney-General of Zimbabwe.[4]
Following the implementation of the new Constitution in 2013, the prosecuting and government advisory roles of the Attorney-General were split, and a new office of Prosecutor-General was established. In November 2013, the then-Attorney-General Johannes Tomana was appointed the first Prosecutor-General, and the post of Attorney-General remained vacant until the appointment of Prince Machaya in February 2015.[5] Machaya had been serving as Deputy Attorney-General during this vacancy.
List of attorneys-general
[edit | edit source]| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmed Ebrahim | 1980 | 1982 | ZANU–PF | Canaan Banana |
| 2 | Godfrey Chidyausiku | 1982 | 1989 | ZANU–PF | |
| 3 | Patrick Chinamasa | 26 April 1989[6] | 2000 | ZANU–PF | Robert Mugabe |
| 4 | Andrew Chigovera | July 2000 | April 2003 | ZANU–PF | |
| – | Bharat Patel Acting |
April 2003 | 2006 | ||
| 5 | Sobusa Gula-Ndebele | 2006 | 15 December 2007 | ZANU–PF | |
| – | Bharat Patel Acting |
May 2008 | December 2008 | ||
| 6 | Johannes Tomana | 3 March 2009 | November 2013 | ZANU–PF | |
| Following the implementation of the new Constitution in 2013, the prosecuting powers of the Attorney-General were transferred to the new office of Prosecutor-General. Tomana was appointed to the new role of Prosecutor-General, and the office of Attorney-General remained vacant until the appointment of Machaya in February 2015. During this time, Machaya had been acting Attorney-General. | |||||
| 7 | Prince Machaya | 25 February 2015 | October 2023 | ZANU–PF | |
| 8 | Virginia Mabhiza | 1 November 2023 | Emmerson Mnangagwa | ||
List of prosecutors-general
[edit | edit source]- Johannes Tomana, 22 August 2013 – 9 June 2017
- Ray Gaba (acting), June 2017 –
- Kumbirai Hodzi,
- Nelson Mutsonziwa (acting), 8 March 2022
- Loice Matanda-Moyo, 5 October 2023 -
References
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