Patrick Chinamasa: Difference between revisions

Patrick Chinamasa is the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Zimbabwe.^[1]

Career

A leading member of Mugabe's ZANU PF party, Chinamasa became first deputy Agriculture Minister, and then Attorney General of Zimbabwe; he also holds the role of Leader of the Zimbabwean Parliament.

Since his appointment, many Zimbabwean Judges have resigned, complaining of political pressure.^[2] On February 9, 2001 after Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay took early retirement, Chinamasa held meetings with senior Justices Ahmed Ebrahim Nicholas (the last white justice on the Zimbabwean Court), and told them for their own safety to leave.^[3]

In 2002, following what Chinamasa considered lenient conviction of three United States citizens caught and convicted of smuggling arms in an aircraft, Zimbabwean High Court judge Fergus Blackie brought successful charges against Chinamasa for a conviction of “scandalising the court.” Chinamasa had Blackie immediately arrested on charges of "corruption," on the grounds of having decided the case of a white woman improperly (on the basis of an alleged adulterous relationship and racist bias), and without the support of the other judge that was sitting with him on the matter.^[4]

In September 2006, Chinamasa was cleared by a judge of trying to pervert the course of justice. Chinamasa was accused of trying to stop a prosecution witness, James Kaunye, from testifying in a case against the Minister of State for National Security, Didymus Mutasa, who had been accused of inciting public violence.^[2]

Chinamasa and Labor Minister Nicholas Goche met with Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube, secretary generals of the Movement for Democratic Change, in Pretoria, South Africa on June 16, 2007. South African President Thabo Mbeki, appointed by the Southern African Development Community, presided over the negotiations which seek to end economic sanctions on Zimbabwe.^[1]

Personal life

Married to Rosemary (born circa 1950), the couples children include:

• Chengetai - A self proclaimed bisexual,^[5] although banned from travelling in to the United States, he currently claims his home location as Worcester, Massachusetts
• Gamuchirai - DoB 11 Nov 1991^[6]

In September 2003 Rosemary evicted white farmer Richard Yates from his 800-hectare tobacco farm Tsukumai Farm at Headlands, located east of Harare. Although the Chinamasa's paid some compensation, Yates is still awaiting final payment and still considers the farm his in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. The following year Rosemary won the Zimbabwean Tobacco grower of the year award, together with a Z$24million prize and trophy as the 2004/2005 top grower at a ceremony in Harare on July 29. British MP Kate Hoey, who made a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe earlier in the year, said the award was shocking: "It is like someone stealing a race horse and winning the Grand National.”^[7] As a result, London based British American Tobacco came under pressure to stop its Zimbabwean associate company to stop sponsoring the award, which it did the following year.

References

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