Senior Masvingo Magistrate Fired For Gross Incompetence

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) secretary Mr Walter Chikwana confirmed senior Masvingo magistrate Peter Madhibha’s dismissal for gross incompetence, among other reasons. He had served as magistrate for 17 years.

Masvingo Provincial Magistrate Mr Langton Ndokera said Masvingo now has 18 magistrates following Madhibha’s departure. Chikwana said Madhibha was fired after appearing before a JSC disciplinary committee. Madhibha was found guilty of contravening the Commission’s Regulations of 2015 that demands high levels of competence on the part of court officials. He was served with his letter of dismissal last week. Madhibha was found guilty of passing non-custodial and lenient sentences for some offences that would under normal circumstances warrant stiffer penalties.

Madhibha also failed to satisfactorily respond to queries raised by Masvingo resident High Court Judges, Justices Garainesu Mawadze and Joseph Mafusire during their review of a case he handled. The case involved the State versus Ernest Chifumuro (Case: MSVP 549/18). Madhibha ordered Chifumuro to just pay a fine of $1 000 after convicting him of culpable homicide. Chifumuro was convicted after a bus he was driving caused the death of six people along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway. Madhibha should have slapped Chifumuro with a custodial sentence considering the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.