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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter
THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has started redeploying 96 newly promoted public prosecutors across the country.
The Acting Prosecutor General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi said in an interview yesterday that the ongoing redeployment of the promoted prosecutors and deployment of newly recruited ones is in line with the NPA’s vision to ensure an effective service delivery in terms of criminal justice.
“The Treasury has given us green light to recruit 120 public prosecutors and as NPA we managed to recruit 106 after we had conducted interviews. We want to create an effective criminal justice system in line with our vision.
“Most of the prosecutors that were promoted are being deployed to remote areas because they are already experienced while the new ones will be mostly based in urban areas so that they undergo further training to ensure that they sharpen their prosecutorial skills and meticulously handle cases,” he said.
Mr Hodzi said despite the recruitment of qualified personnel, police, prison service or army prosecutors that are seconded to the NPA will continue to operate as support staff.
“Police prosecutors are an essential component of the criminal justice system and as NPA we will not discard them because they also have a lot of experience in the court processes,” he said.
NPA recently flighted a vacancy notice in the media inviting applications to fill positions of junior public prosecutors, senior public prosecutors, principal public prosecutors and chief public prosecutors.
The NPA has been operating with 315 prosecutors some of them non-degreed.
According to a circular in possession of The Chronicle some of the notable personnel who were elevated to the positions of chief public prosecutors include two Bulawayo High Court prosecutors Mr Whisper Mabaudhi and Ms Nonhlanhla Ndlovu as well as long serving Beitbridge-based area prosecutor, Mr Johannes Tlou.
Following his promotion, Mr Mabaudhi has been transferred to head Mashonaland West province while Mr Tlou takes over as the provincial public prosecutor for Matabeleland South.
Ms Ndlovu replaces Mrs Martha Cheda as provincial public prosecutor responsible for Bulawayo province. Ms Cheda has been redeployed to the Head Office in Harare for special tasking.
Mr Thompson Hove, who is stationed at the Bulawayo High Court, replaces Mr Simon Nleya as the district public prosecutor in charge of Bulawayo district. Mr Nleya retired early this year after serving NPA for more than 30 years.
Former senior partner at the now defunct Cheda and Partners law firm Mr Nqobizitha Ndlovu, who was recently recruited as principal public prosecutor, has been deployed to the Bulawayo High Court together with Ms Nokuthaba Ngwenya, Mrs Sifiso Sibanda and Mr Kudakwashe Jaravaza who were also recently promoted to the same position.
Bulawayo regional prosecutor Mr Robin Mukura has been moved to Plumtree where he will head the district while Mr Jabulani Mberesi and Memory Munsaka have been appointed district public prosecutors in charge of Beitbridge and Hwange respectively.
Newly promoted senior public prosecutor Ms Desire Paida Zengeni has been transferred from Bulawayo regional court to Nkayi where she will head the station while Ms Liane Nkomo has also been moved from the Tredgold Magistrates’ Court in Bulawayo to Filabusi where she will be the prosecutor in charge. Mr Stanley Chinyanganya who has just been promoted to principal public prosecutor has been transferred from Plumtree to Bulawayo to head the regional court.
Other junior public prosecutors who were promoted to senior public prosecutors in Bulawayo include Ms Caroline Matanga, Ms Concilia Ncube, Ms Tarisai Mutarisi, Ms Tafadzwa Mutsambiwa and Mr Raymond Makhaza.
Mr Hodzi said the aim of NPA is to ensure quality service delivery.
“We don’t want a situation where the NPA or prosecutorial teams are blamed for inadequacies. There is now thorough preparation of cases. We are adopting strategies that ensure that when matters come before the judiciary, the chances of getting acquittals are very low,” he said.
In terms of the constitution, the NPA’s responsibility is to institute and undertake criminal prosecutions on behalf of the State in the public interest. — @mashnets.
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