SIMBARASHE MTEMBO
MIRROR REPORTER

MASVINGO – Judge President, Justice Mary Zimba – Dube has appointed Justice Helena Charewa as the new Senior Judge at the High Court in Masvingo.
Charewa replaces Justice Garainesu Mawadze who has been appointed Deputy Judge President.
Justice Charewa heard her first case yesterday when the year’s third legal term begun.
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) spokesperson, Daniel Nemukuyu confirmed the development to The Mirror.
“I can confirm that Justice Helena Charewa is the new Senior Judge at the High Court in Masvingo. She replaces Deputy Judge President, Justice Mawadze who was transferred to Harare following his elevation,” said Nemukuyu.
The other judge at the High Court in Masvingo is Justice Sunsley Zisengwe.
One of the notable judgements by Justice Charehwa was when she and two other judges sitting as a panel ruled that Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s tenure of office expired after he turned 70 years in 2021.
She also quashed criminal proceedings against prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono after she declared that Section 31 of the Criminal Law Act (publishing falsehoods) was no longer part of Zimbabwean Law.
She served as a professional assistant at Highman, Lewis and Lock (now Henning Lock Donagher and Winter Legal Practitioners) in Mutare.
Justice Charewa served 10 years in the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) from 1985 – 1995. She joined as a captain in 1985 and went on to serve as the ZDF Chief Legal Officer and headed the Department of Research, Legal Drafting and Training from 1990 – 1995.
After leaving the military, she went into private practice as a partner at Mucharehwa and Partners. She also lectured in Civil Practice and Procedure at the University of Zimbabwe.
She joined the African Court on Human and People’s Rights in Arusha, Tanzania, as a senior legal officer before becoming a special assistant to the court’s president and later deputy registrar.
Justice Charewa served as Executive Secretary of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) from June 2014 until she was appointed to the High Court bench by the late President Robert Mugabe in September 2015.
She has served at the High Court in Harare and High Court in Mutare.