Kasukuwere lawyer rues misguided utterances

Joseph Madzimure Zimpapers Elections Desk

A lawyer for disqualified presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere, Ms Jacqueline Sande, has publicly apologised to the Judicial Service Commission for utterances she made following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the High Court decision to bar her principal from standing as an independent presidential election candidate.

Ms Sande had accused the judiciary of “usurping the people’s power to decide who leads them” and also claimed that the fate of the country had been captured by a few individuals.

She was asked to issue a public apology and retract the baseless statements which painted the judiciary in bad light.

In a recorded video which has gone viral, Ms Sande disclosed that she had received a letter from the JSC in response to her comments.

These comments followed the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a High Court ruling preventing Mr Kasukuwere from running as a presidential candidate in the August 23 elections held last week on the grounds that he was no longer a registered voter after being absent from the country for more than 18 months, without even a return for one night to restart the clock.

In her statement of regret, Ms Sande said: “I was asked to retract the words I said and make a public apology pertaining to the same. I have carefully considered my utterances and sentiments and sought wise counsel from colleagues pertaining to same.

“Now therefore, Chief Justice, Judges of the Constitutional Court, Judges of the Supreme Court and in particular Justices Guvava J.A, Bhunu J.A and Chatukuta J.A and all judges of the High Court together with the entire family of the Judicial Service Commission, I, Jacqueline Sande, a senior practitioner and founder of the firm Sande Legal Practice, hereby retract all the utterances I made during the press conferences which were found to be in bad taste or to be disrespectful to the judiciary and which were circulated on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms on the 28th of July 2023.

“I accept that in my passion on behalf of my principal, I may have gone too far as an officer of the court and the words I said may have come across as disrespectful of the bench.

“I unreservedly tender my sincere apologies and further, I unconditionally retract the words that were found to be so disrespectful or contentious of the bench and the entire judiciary. Going forward, I shall be mindful that my primary and ethical duty lies in the courts.”

Ms Sande said after thoughtful consideration and seeking advice from her colleagues, she decided that issuing a public apology was the appropriate course of action.

She then apologised to the judges involved in her client’s case and expressed her commitment to more responsible behaviour in the future.