Opinion / Columnist
Who is Advocate Thabani Mpofu?
22 Aug 2018 at 17:42hrs | Views
Thabani Mpofu is a Zimbabwean lawyer and a constitutional law expect. Thabani is currently representing MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, in challenging the presidential results as announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Mpofu was born in Ingezi Kadoma on the 13th of April 1982. He was educated in Kadoma and latter joined the Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) were he sought to pursue a career in law. Following upon the closure of that university, Thabani joined the University of Zimbabwe where he quickly distinguished himself as a fighter for the rights of students from the former GZU. The fight culminated in the recognition and acceptance of the students and soon placed him at loggerheads with the authorities. The highlight of the fight was when he filed a court application against the University which was however, not successful but served to show the authorities that a new kind of activism was on offer.
When he was in his second year, he took the University and Government to court over the latter's decision to force him to pay school fees. He emerged victorious in the battle and the student's leadership, in resisting the new policy used, his suit in its public campaign programmes.
During his third year he renewed his fight with the government, this time around filing a suit to compel government to implement its laws in relation to commuter fares. The urgent suit, has still not been determined to date and it is unlikely that it ever will. It however, confirmed Thabani's status as an emerging fighter for justice.
During his final year of study at the UZ, thabani who had distinguished himself as a leading student, won the ICRC national moot court competition and won with that the right to participate in the ICRC African moot court competition. Not only did he win the competition at the regional level but he emerged as the best speaker in the finals and won with that the right to join the UN-ICTR office of the trial prosecutor and participated in the trial of Ephrem Setako. He joined the ICTR as an intern but soon became a Legal Researcher.
Thabani has worked for various law firms which includes Mafirakurewa and Associates, J. Musimbe and Associates, Munangati and Associates, Muza and Nyapadi, the Advocate's chambers in Harare and has been the consultant of the Zimbabwe Security Guards Union (Z.I.S.E.G.U). He has also led various civic and political bodies both at university and national levels.
Inspired by his historical experiences, first having witnessed the genocide in Zimbabwe as a kid, the troubles against the GZU, the political environment in Zimbabwe after the formation of the MDC inter alia, thabani decided to form a human rights trust. He founded the THABANI MPOFU CENTER FOR JUSTICE, which he constituted as a settlement, donating to it the properties he had acquired as a working student. The trust soon benefited from his immense experience at the ICTR as he donated to it his expertise as well.
Mpofu was born in Ingezi Kadoma on the 13th of April 1982. He was educated in Kadoma and latter joined the Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) were he sought to pursue a career in law. Following upon the closure of that university, Thabani joined the University of Zimbabwe where he quickly distinguished himself as a fighter for the rights of students from the former GZU. The fight culminated in the recognition and acceptance of the students and soon placed him at loggerheads with the authorities. The highlight of the fight was when he filed a court application against the University which was however, not successful but served to show the authorities that a new kind of activism was on offer.
When he was in his second year, he took the University and Government to court over the latter's decision to force him to pay school fees. He emerged victorious in the battle and the student's leadership, in resisting the new policy used, his suit in its public campaign programmes.
During his third year he renewed his fight with the government, this time around filing a suit to compel government to implement its laws in relation to commuter fares. The urgent suit, has still not been determined to date and it is unlikely that it ever will. It however, confirmed Thabani's status as an emerging fighter for justice.
Thabani has worked for various law firms which includes Mafirakurewa and Associates, J. Musimbe and Associates, Munangati and Associates, Muza and Nyapadi, the Advocate's chambers in Harare and has been the consultant of the Zimbabwe Security Guards Union (Z.I.S.E.G.U). He has also led various civic and political bodies both at university and national levels.
Inspired by his historical experiences, first having witnessed the genocide in Zimbabwe as a kid, the troubles against the GZU, the political environment in Zimbabwe after the formation of the MDC inter alia, thabani decided to form a human rights trust. He founded the THABANI MPOFU CENTER FOR JUSTICE, which he constituted as a settlement, donating to it the properties he had acquired as a working student. The trust soon benefited from his immense experience at the ICTR as he donated to it his expertise as well.
Source - Agencies
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