Simpson Victor Mutambanengwe (also: Mtambanengwe, 1930 – 11 May 2017) was a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an judge. He served on the High Courts of

and

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and was the chairperson of the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission.

Early life and education

Mutambanengwe was born at the Old Umtali Mission in eastern

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing colony, self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The reg ...

(now

Mutare Mutare (formerly Umtali) is the most populous city in the province of Manicaland, and the third most populous city in Zimbabwe, having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 in the surr ...

, Zimbabwe) on 9 December 1930 with a twin sister Abigail Gloria Mutambanengwe. He attended school at Mutambara Mission and

Goromonzi Goromonzi is a rural community in East Mashonaland, Zimbabwe, southeast of the country's capital city of Harare., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The people are principally from the Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona ...

School, after which he worked as a teacher for one year at Old Umtali Mission. He studied English and History at the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1959. He then studied law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and became an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However ...

in 1963. After practising law there until 1964, he returned to

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

, working as advocate until 1979. During that time he also served as ZANU Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Judicial career

From 1979 on he worked as a lawyer in independent Zimbabwe until 1986 when he was appointed a High Court Judge. In 1994 he was appointed to the Namibian High Court. Mutambanengwe also served on the

Supreme Court of Namibia The Supreme Court of Namibia is the highest court in the judicial system of Namibia. It is the court of last resort and the highest appellate court in the country. It is located in the city centre of Namibia's capital city, Windhoek. A Supreme ...

, both as acting

Chief Justice of Namibia The Chief Justice of Namibia, sometimes also referred to as the Judge President, is the head of the Supreme Court of Namibia, the highest appellate court in Namibia. It is the highest post in the Namibian judicial system, presiding over the opera ...

and after his retirement several times as Acting Judge of Appeal. He was appointed chairman of the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission on 31 March 2010, despite being a controversial figure in Zimbabwe. Mutambanengwe was a key figure in the

Nhari rebellion The Nhari Rebellion occurred in November 1974, amidst the Rhodesian Bush War, when members of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) in Chifombo, Zambia (near the border with Mozambique) rebelled against the leadership of the politi ...

in 1974, and known for his outspokenness and independent judgements on various courts. He resigned from this position in February 2013, shortly before the scheduled referendum on a new constitution for Zimbabwe. Mutambanengwe gave his declining health as reason for this move while Zimbabwean independent media speculate that he was deliberately pushed out.

Notable cases

* In the

Caprivi treason trial The Caprivi treason trial is a trial in which the Government of Namibia indicted 132 people for allegedly participating in the Caprivi conflict on the side of the Caprivi Liberation Army during a period between 1992 and 2002. They were charged w ...

Mutambanengwe along with Judges of Appeal Gerhard Maritz and

Johan Strydom Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a man ...

ruled in Namibia's Supreme Court (''State vs. Malumo and 24 Others'') that confessions from 25 accused are inadmissible before the High Court in Windhoek due to the occurrence of "coercive actions" at the hands of Police or military to obtain the testimonies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutambanengwe, Simpson 1930 births 2017 deaths People from Mutare Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London University of Zimbabwe alumni Namibian judges Rhodesian lawyers 20th-century Zimbabwean judges 21st-century Zimbabwean judges Zimbabwean emigrants to Namibia