Attorney-General of Zimbabwe

The Office of the Attorney-General of Zimbabwe (AG) falls under the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of Zimbabwe. In November 2013, the prosecuting and government advisory roles of the Attorney-General were split under the new Constitution. The Attorney-General at that time, Johannes Tomana, became Prosecutor-General.[1] The Attorney-General is the chief legal advisor of the government of Zimbabwe and also sits as a member of the Senate.

The current Attorney-General since 2023 is Virginia Mabiza, the first woman to hold the position.[2][3]

History

Ahmed Ebrahim, appointed by Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, was the first Attorney-General of Zimbabwe.[4]

In November 2013, the position was dissolved and replaced by the Prosecutor General of Zimbabwe. In February 2015, the office of Attorney-General was revived alongside the Prosecutor-General.[5]

List of attorneys-general

No.	Name	Took office	Left office	Party	Appointed by
1	Ahmed Ebrahim	1980	1982	ZANU–PF	Canaan Banana
2	Godfrey Chidyausiku	1982	1989	ZANU–PF
3	Patrick Chinamasa	26 April 1989[6]	2000	ZANU–PF	Robert Mugabe
4	Andrew Chigovera	July 2000	April 2003	ZANU–PF
–	Bharat Patel Acting	April 2003	2006
5	Sobusa Gula-Ndebele	2006	15 December 2007	ZANU–PF
–	Bharat Patel Acting	May 2008	December 2008
6	Johannes Tomana	3 March 2009	November 2013	ZANU–PF
In November 2013, the office of Attorney-General was dissolved and replaced by the Prosecutor-General. In February 2015, the office of Attorney General was revived.
7	Prince Machaya	February 2015	October 2023	ZANU–PF
					Emmerson Mnangagwa
8	Virginia Mabhiza	November 2023

List of prosecutors-general

• Johannes Tomana, November 2013 – June 2017
• Ray Gaba (acting), June 2017 –

References

1. "Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs". Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
2. Chingwere, Mukudzei (28 September 2023). "President appoints first female Attorney General". The Herald. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
3. Barwe, Reuben (6 November 2023). "New Attorney General Virginia Mabhiza sworn in". The Zimbabwean. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
4. Compagnon, Daniel (6 June 2011). A Predictable Tragedy: Robert Mugabe and the Collapse of Zimbabwe. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0812200041.
5. "Mugabe appoints new Attorney General". Nehanda Radio. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
6. Assembly, Zimbabwe Parliament House of (6 July 1989). Parliamentary Debates. order of the House of Assembly. p. 101.

External links

• Attorney-General's office