(Last Updated on December 16, 2020 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – High Court Judge Happias Zhou will on Tuesday preside over the hearing and determination of an application filed by Beatrice Mtetwa and Hopewell Chino’no seeking to set aside Magistrate Ngoni Nduna’s ruling which barred Mtetwa from representing the veteran journalist in his case against the State where he stands accused of inciting public violence.
In September, Magistrate Nduna ruled in favour of the Prosecutor who alleged the renowned human rights lawyer was undermining the case by posting material related to the case on Facebook and subsequently requested that Mtetwa be disqualified from representing Chino’no.
Magistrate Nduna further recommended that the Law Society of Zimbabwe initiates disciplinary proceedings against the renowned human rights lawyer.
This was despite the fact that Mtetwa had maintained that the said page ( Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law) was run by the American filmmaker Lorie Conway.
Mtetwa and Chino’no are arguing that the ruling is unconstitutional and violates the latter’s right to have legal representation of his choice.
The two are represented by Doug Coltart from the Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights.