JOANA MAMOMBE’S TRIAL EXPOSES ZIMBABWE’S BROKEN JUSTICE SYSTEM

Joana Mamombe, a young and bold opposition MP for Harare West, is once again in the dock. Her only crime? Daring to speak out against a government that has mastered the art of silencing critics through courts and intimidation. Her ongoing trial is not about justice—it is about punishing dissent and setting an example for those who dare to challenge the system.

Back in May 2020, Mamombe, along with fellow CCC activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova, was arrested for allegedly organizing an anti-government protest during the strict COVID-19 lockdown. They were charged with promoting public violence and breaking health regulations. At the time, the streets were empty due to lockdowns, but hunger and frustration were overflowing. The trio’s call was simple: feed the people. For that, they were thrown behind bars.

Now, four years later, something strange has happened. Chimbiri and Marova have been acquitted. Their cases, built on the same evidence and charges as Mamombe’s, were tossed out. Yet, Mamombe still faces trial starting on July 9. This makes no legal sense. As her lawyer Alec Muchadehama rightly said, if they walked free, why is she still being dragged through the mud?

This is not a legal battle. It is a political game. A game where the rules are bent, broken, and rewritten to crush those who refuse to bow to the regime.

Mamombe is no stranger to this. Since being elected at just 25 years old in 2018, she has faced constant persecution. In 2019, she spent 68 days in prison facing treason charges. In 2020, she was abducted and tortured—she says by state agents. Her claims were ignored, and instead, she was charged with lying. Though the courts cleared her of that too, the pattern is clear. Every time Mamombe speaks, the system responds with handcuffs.

Yet she has never stopped working. As chair of the Environment Committee in Parliament, she has pushed for better laws to protect Zimbabwe’s natural resources. She is a public servant who wants to build a better future. But in Zimbabwe, it seems being effective, young, and female in opposition is a threat too big for the state to ignore.

The most disturbing part is the timing. While Mamombe faces court, her party, the CCC, is falling apart from the inside. Sengezo Tshabangu, a man few had heard of until recently, is now claiming leadership with backing from state agents and Zanu PF allies. It’s no coincidence that Mamombe, a vocal Chamisa loyalist, is being sidelined. The plan is simple: weaken the CCC from within and silence strong voices from without.

This is not just Mamombe’s fight. It’s a test for Zimbabwe’s justice system. A system that claims to be independent, yet applies the law with a political eye. How can two people be acquitted while the third, facing the same charges, is still being hounded? What kind of justice is that?

The international community must pay attention. Mamombe’s trial is not just a local matter. It is a signal of where Zimbabwe is headed—a country where courts are used to crush opposition, not to deliver justice. A country where brave young women are treated as enemies of the state for asking tough questions.

But no matter what the regime throws at her, Mamombe has not backed down. She remains a symbol of courage in a land that punishes the brave. Her fight is not only for her freedom—it is for every Zimbabwean who dreams of a fairer, freer country.

The people are watching. The world is watching. And history will remember who stood for justice when the system chose to kneel to power.