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Section 179: Qualifications of judges of High Court, Labour Court and Administrative

Constitution of Zimbabwe

Court

(1) A person is qualified for appointment as a judge of the High Court, the Labour Court or the Administrative Court if he or she is at least forty years old and, in addition—

    (a) is or has been a judge of a court with unlimited jurisdiction in civil or criminal matters

in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch or English and English is an

officially recognised language; or

    (b) for at least seven years, whether continuously or not, he or she has been qualified to

practise as a legal practitioner—

          (i) in Zimbabwe;

          (ii) in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch and English is an

officially recognised language; or

          (iii) if he or she is a Zimbabwean citizen, in a country in which the common law is

English and English is an officially recognised language;

and is currently so qualified to practise.

(2) To be appointed as a judge of the High Court, the Labour Court or the Administrative Court a person must be a fit and proper person to hold office as a judge.

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AI Insights

Qualifications of judges of High Court, Labour Court and Administrative Court

This section establishes two key requirements for judicial appointments:

  1. Age and Experience: Candidates must be at least 40 years old and either have served as a judge in a common law jurisdiction or have at least 7 years of legal practice experience in qualifying jurisdictions.
  2. Character Requirement: The "fit and proper person" clause ensures judges must meet ethical and professional standards beyond mere technical qualifications.

The requirements reflect Zimbabwe's legal heritage by specifying Roman-Dutch and English common law jurisdictions, ensuring judges understand Zimbabwe's hybrid legal system.