Online ReporterPrince Mushawevato
FROM a determined Murewa schoolboy who taught himself Advanced Level subjects to a seasoned lawyer, mentor and author, Professor Theophilus Pharoah Gambe has spent four decades building a law firm and documenting the lessons of a changing profession.
When he looks back at the young lawyer who opened his own firm in 1986, Prof Gambe does not first remember ambition, wealth or prestige. He remembers service.
“The young lawyer who started the firm wanted to build a strong firm which would support and service the previously marginalised black majority,” he says.
Four decades later, that vision has grown into a law firm, generations of lawyers mentored and a growing body of legal literature.
On September 12, Gambe Law Group (GLG) celebrated that journey in Harare with the launch of three legal textbooks: “Trust Accounting in the Legal Sector”, “Ethics: The Practice of Law” and “Practice Management for Lawyers”.
The books are practical guides, but they also tell the story of a lawyer who believes professional knowledge must ultimately serve people.
At the launch, the guest of honour, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe, saluted the achievement.
“To write one legal textbook is a considerable achievement. To publish three at once is a rare act of scholarly discipline, and I salute him for it,” he said.
But the story behind the books began in Murewa.
It is the story of a boy who refused to give up.
Determination and drive
Prof Gambe attended Murewa High School from Form One to Form Four.
His father died before he could proceed to Advanced Level, leaving him without the means to continue his education.
“I was determined to do Advanced Levels, so I borrowed the syllabus of a friend who was doing Advanced Level and began studying on my own, scavenging for textbooks,” he revealed.
He studied Economics, Geography, Literature and Divinity, but still needed examination fees.
He wrote to farmers and business owners seeking assistance.
“Fortunately, I received mail from one Mr Peach, of Peach Cash and Carry, with a cheque to cover the exam fees.”
He passed.
His fascination with law had already been sparked by literature, particularly Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” and its lawyer, the Man of Law.
A scholarship opportunity took him to Botswana in 1979, with hopes of proceeding to Britain to study law.
However, at a time when the Lancaster House Conference was underway, the United Kingdom cancelled the scholarships it had issued.
Prof Gambe returned home in 1980 and went straight to the University of Zimbabwe.
“I did not waste the opportunity at university.
“They nicknamed me the professor because of my love for studying.”
The nickname stayed.
He entered the legal profession at a formative moment in Zimbabwe’s history.
“Before and after independence in 1980, there were very few law firms, almost all of them were white-owned,” he says.
He recalls a black majority that was underserved in rural areas, farms, towns, cities and high-density communities, while the legal system itself was undergoing profound change.
“Rhodesia had many draconian laws for black people, and these were being repealed and people-friendly laws and systems were being crafted.”
Independence, therefore, brought responsibility as well as freedom.
“Many Zimbabweans who had been trained outside the country were coming back home. We were all infused with the nationalist feeling . . .”
Key mentor
Prof Gambe and his late friend Rugare Mandima initially joined Danziger and Partners in Gweru before Gambe was invited by Patrick Chinamasa to join P.A. Chinamasa and Company in Harare.
Chinamasa became one of his most important mentors.
“It is from him that I got my grounding in ethics, a deeper understanding of what commitment, excellence and dedication to the craft of law means.
“He emphasised the need for patience, doing the job right, giving all your clients, no matter their status, your all and everything else, he would say, ‘will naturally follow.’”
Those lessons would eventually find their way into Prof Gambe’s own books.
When he established his firm in 1986, the challenge was not a shortage of work but a shortage of capital.
“In the first five years of our operation, the major challenge was capitalisation. A quality law practice required offices, vehicles and a legal library, which was very expensive.”
They had no personal vehicles and had to rely on taxis to make it to court on time or visit clients wherever they were.
The experience taught him lessons that remain central to his philosophy, which include “patience, pursuit of excellence, steady building, taking one step at a time and never taking shortcuts or the seemingly fastest route”.
Four decades later, the passion remains.
“What surprises me most is that it still feels like yesterday. My passion for law, best practices, teaching and mentoring has not diminished one bit,” he says.
Then comes the sporting analogy.
“If it were a game of soccer, I feel like Messi, CR7 — still hungry for more game time.”
Legacy
Prof Gambe’s greatest professional satisfaction is not simply the firm he built, but the people who passed through it. His son is also following in his footsteps.
“Some are now on the Bench; some are running successful firms. I have planted seeds that I have seen grow and blossom and they are also planting their own seeds.
“That makes me really proud that I have contributed to society. I have helped create employment; that gives me immense satisfaction,” he says.
His books are another form of planting seeds.
The writing bug caught him at university.
“As an avid reader, I soon realised that I, too, had ideas and concepts that I wanted to write about.
“I was reading about other people’s experiences, some even describing my experiences for me, yet I, too, had a voice, a story to tell, from my perspective, from the perspective of my people.”
Questions from students and practising lawyers later provided further inspiration.
“From their questions and enquiries, I have been inspired to put the answers in writing,” says Prof Gambe.
The three books address three essential areas of legal practice.
“Trust Accounting in the Legal Sector” deals with safeguarding client funds and maintaining trust.
“Ethics: The Practice of Law” examines professional conduct, placing judgement, integrity, loyalty, competence, objectivity and passion at the centre of legal practice.
“Practice Management for Lawyers” focuses on building profitable, efficient and client-centred practices.
Together, they make a simple argument: Being a lawyer is about more than knowing the law; it is about how that knowledge is practised, managed and passed on.
Minister Kazembe placed the books within a wider national context.
“A Government cannot legislate well on a subject that nobody in the country has taken the trouble to write down properly.”
He added: “A right that a citizen cannot understand is a right that a citizen cannot claim.”
And in an age of instant information, he said books still matter.
“A search returns fragments. A textbook returns a framework. Our students need both, but they need the framework first.”
Minister Kazembe also recalled Prof Gambe’s teaching work with the Ministry of Justice at the Domboshava Training Institute.
“Some of those trainees are now judges of the High Court,” he said.
“That is the quiet arithmetic of teaching. A lecture delivered 30 years ago is still being delivered today — in judgments, from the Bench.”
The books will also become part of Zimbabwe’s permanent record through the National Archives.
“That is heritage,” notes Minister Kazembe.
Prof Gambe welcomes the growth of legal education and the increasing number of lawyers but warns that numbers must not dilute standards.
His advice to young lawyers is equally direct: “Never forget or take for granted the small client. They will help build you up.”
Even as technology transforms the profession, he believes artificial intelligence (AI) should remain a tool rather than a substitute for human judgement.
He notes it should not replace the human mind and thinking.
For Prof Gambe, success now means, “what I can give out for the benefit of the country, students, practising lawyers, judges and citizens.”
And perhaps the most fitting measure of his journey is this: the boy who once had to scavenge for textbooks has grown into a man determined to ensure that future lawyers have books from which to learn.
At the launch, Minister Kazembe quoted Margaret Fuller: “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”
For 40 years, Prof Gambe has gathered knowledge through practice, mentorship, teaching and scholarship.
Now he is doing something more enduring than simply keeping it.
He is writing it down — and passing the light on.
