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The late Justice Andrew Mutema

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter—
THE late senior Bulawayo High Court Judge and war veteran Justice Andrew Mutema has been declared a national hero and will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Saturday. Justice Mutema collapsed and died at Mater Dei Hospital on Friday last week. He was 56. Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Ignatius Chombo confirmed the national hero status yesterday.

“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF Cde Robert Mugabe has conferred National Hero Status on the late comrade Justice Andrew Mutema. This was after a request from the Ministry of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, which said Cde Mutema served his country with unparalleled loyalty, honour and diligence,” said Cde Chombo.

“His war name was Cde Kinsley Dube Vatema and he will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Saturday.” Richard Nhike, his nephew, said the family was delighted that his uncle was conferred with national hero status. “His body will be taken to his Chivhu farm tomorrow morning. There will be a military parade on Friday at 1 Commando,” said Nhike.

“Church services will be held every night at Number 28 Churchill Drive, Marlborough till Saturday when he is buried. That’s all we have as far as the programme is concerned.” Justice Mutema was born on February 27, 1959 in Mutema Village under Chief Chiwara in Gutu. He attended primary school at Marinda and Vumba Primary Schools in the same area where he excelled in soccer.

Justice Mutema joined the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) in November 1977 after he finished his O-Levels at Silveira High School with Major General Englebert Rugeje. The two had been classmates and were accompanied by four others to Mozambique to join the liberation struggle. They were received at Chibawawa Camp where they were nominated to be teachers of young children of school going age who were flocking to join the war at that time.

Justice Mutema stayed at Chibawawa and later received basic guerrilla warfare training in Mozambique in 1978. After training, he had a short stint on the battlefront for three months and later went back to Mozambique where he stayed until August 1979 when he was sent to Romania for specialist training. While in Romania, Justice Mutema specialised in Anti-Aircraft Radar Systems and Air Defence Artillery and introductory Romanian language and physics training for six months. The actual artillery course ran from June 1980 to August 1982.

From 1983 to 1985, he attended a combined Magistrates, Prosecutors and Presiding officers Course run by the Ministry of Justice at the Domboshava Training Centre. He later joined the same ministry as an assistant magistrate where he trained for six months. Justice Service Commission secretary Justice Rita Makarau said Justice Mutema joined the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in 1986 as an assistant magistrate.

He was appointed magistrate in 1987. From 1991 to 1994 he read for and attained an LLB Honours Degree at the University of Zimbabwe under a cadetship of the Ministry of Justice. He rose through the ranks until September 1997 when he was appointed regional magistrate, a post he held until November 2004 when he was appointed Senior President of the Administrative Court.

He was later moved to the Labour Court on 14 December 2007 where he was appointed to the post of senior president of the Labour Court. On May 20, 2010 he was appointed Judge of the High Court in Harare. On February 1, 2013, he was elevated to the position of Senior Judge in charge of the High Court, Bulawayo.

In March this year, he became a Principal Judge in the First Division of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa). Justice Mutema joined the Bulawayo High Court from the Harare High Court to replace Justice Nicholas Ndou, who resigned on December 31, 2012, after sitting on the bench for 11 years.