Sundaymail Editor
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs VirginIA Mabhiza (VM) has an impressive curriculum vitae. This would naturally give her reason to brag, but this is not the case. Her humble character belies her lofty status. Our reporter Veronica Gwaze (VG) caught up with her to get a perspective of her work and life experiences.
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VG: Who is Virginia Mabhiza?
VM: I am the Permanent Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, a post I have held for seven years. I am a legal practitioner with vast experience in criminal and civil litigation, and in leadership change management, which I studied postgrad. I am quite a mixed bag; I also have a lot of experience in intellectual property. I grew up in rural Masvingo, where I attended Zimuto Mission, and it is a miracle that I found myself here, because I had ambitions, yes, but little did I know that the galaxy would be my limit.
VG: How has been your experience as a long-serving senior civil servant?
VM: I could write a book; in fact, I am working with the encouragement from a friend, to write about my experiences as a long-serving civil servant. Titled “The Three Republics”, the book will be in reference to my key roles in the three orders, including the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Second Republic.
In the first order, I mostly served in the courts where I acquired vast knowledge around legal issues. The area helped me grow. Then proceeding into the GNU era, I played a key role in the writing of a people-driven Constitution as the then Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs. Then came the Second Republic, it was quite a journey implementing the Constitution, among other key roles. And under the New Dispensation, every day is a new day full of lessons and new experiences.
Implementing the Constitution means learning every day and some of these things you cannot wait to be taught, but you have to grow and learn on your own along the journey.
VG: Could you share your experiences being secretary to key commissions of inquiry.
VM: First, I appreciate having been entrusted to head the secretariat in most key commissions, including the Motlanthe and the Uchena commissions, roles that came when I least expected it. It is here that I got a lot of exposure to international best practice, especially in the field of diplomacy and conflict resolution, sometimes even playing a key role in managing and calming potentially explosive situations.
The other commissions are disciplinary, they exposed me to issues of governance in public institutions. However, it was all different with the Uchena Commission, where I gradually got an in-depth appreciation of urban planning and land management. At first, everything was not easy, I would even question myself privately in terms of ability, but maybe I was simply born to do it.
VG: What role are you playing in implementing the Government’s reform agenda as Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs?
VM: As Secretary for Justice, I am the chairperson of the Governance Thematic Group under the National Development Strategy (NDS1). In that capacity, I oversee the implementation of sector projects, the key result areas being justice delivery, public service delivery and national peace and reconciliation.
VG: What are your views on the state of the judiciary system and the legal fraternity in Zimbabwe?
VM: Zimbabwe has a robust justice delivery system which is anchored on the principle of equality before the law and observance of the rule of law. Our courts are functional and serve their purpose. The legal fraternity plays an important role in the development of our jurisprudence. Further, we have well-trained lawyers whose knowledge and experience often enhances the efficient functioning of the Judiciary.
VG: Take us through the time you worked with His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, when he was still Justice Minister.
VM: I started working with H.E. in September 2013 after we were both appointed to the Ministry of Justice as Minister and Permanent Secretary respectively. I wish to point out that prior to that he had been Minister of Justice when I still occupied lower ranks in the Attorney-General’s Office, so now as I found myself under his direct supervision, initially I felt challenged. I would set myself targets judging by what I perceived to be his high expectations because I was afraid to fail.
With time I began to realise that I was successfully building a strong team characterised by all the dynamics of team formation, which are norming, storming, forming and performing. When he eventually became Vice President in 2014, I was inspired by the level of respect and support he showed to me and my team. I learnt a lot of commitment from him; I do not remember him missing a single heads of department meeting except when he was away. Further, he interacted with every level in the ministry in such a way that to date, everyone adores him for his professionalism, humility, hardworking and emotional intelligence.
VG: It is clear your plate is full, how do you balance private and office life?
VM: I must admit that my office means a lot of responsibility as a result of the numerous mandates arising there-from. The portfolio hosts 14 departments with some of our offices countrywide. This obviously is bound to take a lot of time. However, I have devised ways to balance family and work by making sure I spend as much time with them during weekends and public holidays, but still when duty calls, I remain flexible.
I am a mother of four and my husband Louis Mabhiza, an engineer in the mining field, supports me whenever I have to do extra work, while I support him in his equally busy work regime. Our youngest daughter is still in high school, while some of the older ones are in university and the other has already graduated as a chemical engineer. I acknowledge that parenting is a full time job, but open communication and mutual support with my husband has seen me through. I am passionate about gardening and flower arrangement, so during my spare time, I play around my flower pots to unwind or join my husband for golf.
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