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 Mozam ...

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 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 kn ...

(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 area, urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 ...

, Zimbabwe) on 9 December 1930 with a twin sister Abigail Gloria Mutambanengwe. He attended school at Mutambara Mission and Goromonzi 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 opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...

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 Wal ...

, in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 S ...

, working as advocate until 1979. During that time he also served as

ZANU The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant organisation that fought against white minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). ZANU split in 1975 into wings loyal to Robert Mugab ...

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, both as acting Chief Justice of Namibia 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 Mutambanengwe along with Judges of Appeal Gerhard Maritz and Johan Strydom 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