Lawyer Jaqueline Sande, representing Savior Kasukuwere, has issued a retraction and apology for alleging that the judiciary was favouring the ZANU PF party in the case involving Kasukuwere and Lovedale Mangwana. Following these remarks, the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) instructed Sande to withdraw her statements and offer an apology.
The JSC deemed Sande’s comments to be unfounded, legally incorrect, and lacking any basis. They characterised her statements as malicious attacks aimed at undermining the integrity of the Supreme Court and its judges. The JSC expressed concern that if left unaddressed, such remarks would compromise the independence of the courts and erode public trust in the judiciary. Consequently, the JSC granted Sande a week to retract her statements publicly, issue a written letter of apology to the Supreme Court, and issue a written public notice acknowledging the harm caused by her false statements.
In response, Sande held a press conference where she expressed remorse for her comments. She stated that upon reflection and seeking advice from colleagues, she recognised the inappropriateness of her previous remarks. She said:
I, Jaqueline Sande, a senior practitioner and founder of the firm Sande Legal Practice, hereby retract all the utterances I made during the press conferences which were found to be in bad taste or to be disrespectful of the judiciary and which were circulated on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms on the 28th of July 2023.
Watch the video below for more.
Sande acknowledges that she may have crossed a line and, as a result, offers her apologies for the statements she made. Sande has been representing Kasukuwere following his disqualification from running for the presidency on the grounds that he spent 18 consecutive months outside of his constituency.