Zimbabwe Judges' Chitepo School 'training' scrapped

A controversial "training workshop" for Zimbabwe's judges, organised by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and involving figures closely linked to the ruling Zanu-PF party and the state intelligence agency, has been cancelled following widespread backlash from judges and legal practitioners.

The planned Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) training session, which was scheduled to take place on 4–5 July 2025 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, was quietly scrapped after the judiciary raised alarm over the event's threat to judicial independence.

A memo dated 2 July from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Secretary to the Chief Justice, Chief Registrar, and all Heads of Courts confirmed the cancellation. It cited ongoing discussions with the OPC over the appropriateness of programme content, training material, and resource persons, stressing the need to uphold constitutional guarantees of an independent judiciary.

"The judiciary has been actively engaging with the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) regarding the most appropriate programme, training material, and resource persons… consistent with the Constitutional requirement of the guarantee of Judicial Independence," the memo read.

"Following the initial consultations and continued discussions with OPC on the implementation framework, I wish to inform you that a decision has been taken to cancel the IRBM training, with the view of coming up with a programme content administered by the judiciary."

The workshop had drawn criticism after it emerged that the principal of the Zanu-PF Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, the Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), and President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Chief Secretary, Martin Rushwaya, were scheduled to play key roles in the event.

Lawyers, judges, and civic organisations warned that the training was an unconstitutional attempt by the executive to exert influence over the judiciary under the guise of performance management training. Many viewed the involvement of security and political figures as a blatant encroachment on the independence of the courts.

"This is a major red flag for any democracy," said one legal analyst. "The judiciary cannot receive training from political ideologues or intelligence chiefs - this completely undermines the separation of powers."

While no public explanation has been issued by the OPC, the JSC memo makes it clear that the judiciary intends to design a more suitable programme internally, avoiding interference from political and security institutions.

Heads of courts have been instructed to inform all judges of the cancellation, and new arrangements for any future training will be communicated in due course.

The scrapped workshop has highlighted growing tension between the judiciary and the executive, amid concerns over creeping authoritarianism and efforts to centralise power around the presidency.

Legal observers say the decision to cancel the training is a victory for judicial independence - but also a warning of how far political influence may be encroaching on constitutional institutions in Zimbabwe.