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

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

an judge. He served on the High Courts of

and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

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 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 region was informally known as South ...

(now

Mutare Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...

, 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. The people are principally from the Shona tribe. The village serves as a trading centre for commercial, communal and co-operative f ...

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 The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of Lon ...

. He 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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and became an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

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

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

, working as an 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 supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of Namibia, 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 ...

, both as acting

Chief Justice of Namibia The chief justice of Namibia is the head of the Supreme Court of Namibia, the highest appellate court in Namibia. It is the highest post in the judicial system of Namibia, Namibian judicial system, presiding over the operation of the supreme court ...

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 in 1974, 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 Mutambanengwe along with Judges of Appeal Gerhard Maritz and

Johan Strydom Johan may refer to: * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (1921 film), a Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (2005 film), a Dutch romantic comedy film * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Joh ...

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