'Mohadi's sex scandal should be probed'

Vice President Kembo Mohadi's sexual excursions betray a culture of "abuse of office and power by public officials" that should be thoroughly investigated and punished, two civil society groups said on Monday.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the Women and Law in Southern Africa also called for an inquiry into Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Thompson Mabhikwa, whose affair with a subordinate exploded last week when she sent the judge's nudes to his phone contacts after discovering he was double-timing.

Mohadi is embroiled in an even more damaging scandal after phone recordings obtained exclusively by ZimLive showed he was sleeping with a married subordinate Abiggal Muleya and arranged for sex romps in his office with another wedded mistress Chevaughn Choeni.

He also tried to lure a young beneficiary of his scholarship to a Bulawayo hotel for sex.

"The Forum and WLSA are deeply troubled by the allegations as they involve engagements of a sexual nature by persons in positions of power with subordinate personnel," said the two civil society groups in a joint statement panning both Mohadi and Mabhikwa.

"The allegations evidently implicate a culture of abuse of office and power by public officials for sexual advantage. The Forum and WLSA join all progressive Zimbabweans and calls for the immediate investigation into the alleged acts of misconduct and a call to account."

Calls for Mohadi to step down have gained traction over the last few days with many people demanding an appropriate code of ethics that would punish public officials who engage in such appalling workplace conduct.

The two groups also castigated government spokesman Nick Ndabaningi Mangwana for defending Mohadi's behavior and condoning powerful politicians who use their influence to wreck other people's marriages.

"Remarks by Nick Mangwana are particularly unsettling as they uphold a culture that is inconsistent with the legal, moral code of conduct that binds public officials," added the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the Women and Law in Southern Africa

"The act of engaging a subordinate to sexual benefit directly flies in the tenets upon which public officials exercise their mandate and the position of power they are imbued with."

Failure to act on Mohadi and Mabhikwa "would be to severely undermine the fundamental values and principles that public officials stand upon, and that which the public draws on for confidence in its government," the groups argued.