Fancy cars for Zimbabwe's recently appointed Judges

The new High Court judges President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed two weeks ago have just received new Land Rover Discovery cars.

On 12 June, President Mnangagwa appointed former magistrates Faith Mushure and Ngoni Nduna and lawyers Regis Demure, Philipa Phillips, Gibson Mandaza, Joel Mambara, Naison Chivhayo, Vivian Ndlovu, Sijabuliso Siziba and Mpokiseng Dube as judges of the High Court. Maxwell Kaitano will sit at the Administrative Court.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi hailed the appointments, saying they would improve access to justice as some cases took too long to conclude. He added that the new judges would also reduce the backlog at the courts.

However, when the President made the appointments, there was disquiet as some felt several judges were subpar. Some of them failed the public interviews. Nduna, for instance, confessed that he took out a bank loan for his farm and refused to pay it back. Some new High Court judges have reportedly never argued or represented a client in a court of law.

Barely two weeks after their swearing-in, the new judges have received new Land Rover Discovery cars. The new vehicles were delivered today at the High Court of Zimbabwe in Harare.

Some people passing by took pictures of the mint grey SUVs, which lined majestically just opposite the Munhumutapa offices housing President Mnangagwa's workstation.

People online had mixed sentiments about the new judges' cars.