Zimbabwe's national assembly has apologised to Chief Justice Luke Malaba after he was reportedly "heckled and booed" by opposition party lawmakers as he entered the national assembly this week to swear-in parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda and other presiding officers.
According to the state-owned Herald newspaper, newly sworn in national assembly speaker, Jacob Mudenda, described the opposition lawmakers' behaviour as uncalled for and “indecorous”.
Mudenda said the lawmakers' behaviour should be condemned in the strongest possible terms as Justice Malaba was heading the country’s top court and deserved to be treated with respect.
“On behalf of the parliament of Zimbabwe and, indeed on my own behalf, I would like to publicly apologise unreservedly to the Chief Justice his Lordship Hon Luke Malaba and the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Justice Priscilla Chigumba for the indecorous behaviour by some members of the National Assembly during the swearing in ceremony of presiding officers yesterday (Wednesday)," Mudenda reportedly said in a statement.
According to Daily News, Malaba was forced to swear-in Mudenda at least 20 minutes after entering parliament although the heckling had not subsided.
The Movement for Democratic Change lawmakers called the chief justice a "thief" after ruling against their party in the just ended election court challenge.
The southern African country’s Constitutional Court upheld President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s recent election victory after the MDC party failed to provide the court with substantial evidence, said an AFP report.
According to NewsDay, Chigumba, who was in parliament to observe proceedings, also suffered the same fate as Chief Justice Malaba,
Chigumba, was whisked out of parliament by deputy Clerk of Parliament, Hellen Dingani, the report said.
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