The Attorney-General’s Office has seized office keys of one of the five prosecutors who were fired for leading a strike that crippled the justice delivery system last month.
Mehluli Tshuma’s keys were confisticated amid fears that it was part of attempts to target members of the Zimbabwe Law Officers’ Association (Ziloa) who were dismissed by AG Johannes Tomana.
In a letter dated November 24, addressed to Maxwell Ranga, the human resources director at the AG’s Office, Tshuma confirmed being ordered to surrender his office keys to acting director of prosecution Tawanda Zvekare.
Part of the letter reads: “May you please take note of the following developments: The acting director Mr Zvekare has persistently asked me to surrender the said keys because I no longer belong to or at the Attorney-General’s Office (from) the 14th of November after I had surrendered the dockets.”
Tshuma was dismissed alongside other Ziloa leaders Dereck Charamba, Leopold Mudisi, Patrobs Dube and Musekiwa Mbanje.
They have vowed to continue reporting for duty, claiming they had not been formally suspended or dismissed.
High Court judge Justice Ben Hlatshwayo last week postponed to tomorrow the hearing of an urgent application in which the Ziloa leaders are contesting the withdrawal of their prosecutors’ certificates.
Law officers and prosecutors staged wildcat strikes last month demanding a review of their salaries and working conditions.
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Prosecutors held demonstrations outside Tomana’s office and at magistrates’ courts around the country. The strikes were triggered by a government decision to award salary increases to regional magistrates and chief law officers at the AG’s Office.
The prosecutors called off the strikes after a guarantee of salary increases by the State.
But, a bitter Tomana charged the five leaders of the prosecutors’ labour representative body with defiance, misconduct and inciting workers to stage the boycott that lasted two weeks.
