Mrs Virginia Mabhiza
By Godwin Makoho
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Mrs Virginia Mabhiza as the Attorney General of Zimbabwe with effect from the 1st of November 2023.
The appointment, made in terms of section 114(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, was announced in a press statement this Wednesday by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Ruswaya.
A qualified legal practitioner with vast experience in criminal and civil litigation, intellectual property and leadership change management, Mrs Mabhiza becomes the first female Attorney General in Zimbabwe.
Mabhiza holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Honours Degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a MSc Leadership and Change Management from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
She has been in the justice sector for a long time, rising through the ranks from being an operative until she secured a position in the top management.
She served as secretary for Constitutional Affairs during the Inclusive Government (2009-2013) before her appointment as Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in 2013.
As Secretary for Justice, she was the chairperson of the Governance Thematic Group under the National Development Strategy (NDS1). In that role, she oversaw the implementation of sector projects, the key result areas being justice delivery, public service delivery and national peace and reconciliation.
Mabhiza was also assigned to head the secretariat in most key commissions, including the Motlanthe and the Uchena commissions, as well as disciplinary commissions within the Justice ministry.
She excelled in these responsibilities, leading to her promotion to the helm of the AG’s office.
Functions of the Attorney General
According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the functions of the Attorney-General are as follows,
(a)To act as the principal Legal adviser to the government;
(b) To represent the government in civil and constitutional proceedings;
(c) To draft legislation on behalf of the government;
(d) To promote, protect and uphold the rule of law and to defend the public interest; and
(e) To exercise any other functions that may be assigned to the Attorney-General by an Act of Parliament; and the Attorney-General may exercise those functions in person or through subordinate officers acting under the Attorney-General’s general or specific instructions.
The Attorney-General may attend Cabinet meetings or sit and speak in the Senate and the National Assembly but has no vote in these seatings. With the leave of the court concerned, she may appear as a friend of the court in any civil proceedings to which the government is not a party.
Previous Attorney Generals
Previous Attorney Generals in Zimbabwe include Ahmed Ibrahim, Godfrey Chidyausiku, Barat Partel, Patrick Chinamasa, Sobuza Gula Ndebele , Andrew Chigovera, Johannes Tomana and Prince Machaya.
Born and bred in rural Masvingo, Mabhiza attended Zimuto Mission. She is married to Engineer Louis Mabhiza and the couple is blessed with four children.
