Enoch_Dumbutshena

Enoch Dumbutshena

Enoch Dumbutshena

Zimbabwean judge

Enoch Dumbutshena (20 April 1920 – 14 December 2000) was a distinguished Zimbabwean judge known for defending the independence of that country's judicial branch. He became Zimbabwe's first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice of Zimbabwe from 1984 to 1990. Dumbutshena's decisions were often highly critical of President Robert Mugabe and his government. A former member of the International Commission of Jurists, he unsuccessfully attempted to launch a political career of his own in 1993 by founding the free-market Forum Party. He died in late 2000 of liver cancer.

Quick Facts Chief Justice of Zimbabwe, Personal details ...

Character

Lord Denning described Dumbutshena J as "a much-respected figure, courageous and independent as a judge should be."[1] He was a member of the African National Congress, and was refused a passport to travel to the US “due to prevailing conditions” in 1959. [Source: “African Journalist Refused Passport to America,” Contact, 18 April 1959.]

Dumbutshena was Zimbabwe's first black High Court Judge.[1] He famously acquitted a group of six white Zimbabwe Air Force officers who had been tortured into confessing to participation in the sabotage of fighter aircraft.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    Denning, Alfred (1984). Landmarks in the Law. Worcester: Butterworths & Co. p. 40. ISBN 040617614-0.


Flag ofJustice icon

This article about an African lawyer, judge or jurist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Flag of ZimbabwePolitician icon

This article about a Zimbabwean politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Enoch_Dumbutshena, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.