SHAMVA South Member of Parliament Joseph Mapiki has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a "grossly fraudulent" and concerted effort to use the Zimbabwean judicial system to dispossess a businessman and employer of thousands of his gold processing mine.
In a detailed complaint to the Chief Justice, Judicial Service Commission, and the Law Society dated 29 July 2026, Mapiki has demanded an urgent investigation into the conduct of a High Court Judge, legal practitioners, and the Sheriff of the High Court at Bindura over their handling of case HCH 2407/26, Deep Down Mining Private Limited versus William Magora.
At the heart of the complaint is an attempt to evict Magora from the Mont Dor 98 and 99 gold claims, a mine that supports a school with over 600 students and employs more than 2,000 youths from the Shamva South Constituency. Mapiki praised Magora as "one of the patriotic Zimbabwean citizens who are supporting the Government of Zimbabwe's policy of leaving no one and no place behind."
According to the court record submitted by the MP, the saga is riddled with procedural abuses that prevented Magora from being aware of the proceedings against him. The summons served on Magora listed his address of service as 4479 Chiwaridzo in Bindura, but the Sheriff's return of service shows service was allegedly effected at an address in Shamva. The Sheriff purported to serve a summons issued by the High Court sitting at Chinhoyi while the case was ultimately heard and decided at the High Court in Harare. Service was not made on Magora personally, with the return of service claiming service was effected on an agent named Kasimbi, an employee at the mine who did not provide identification. The Sheriff's report does not show service at the address specified in the summons, and no affidavit was filed to explain the deviation.
Despite these glaring discrepancies, the presiding Judge in Harare accepted the return of service and granted a default judgment in favour of Deep Down Mining on the unopposed roll.
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Mapiki expressed "gross disappointment at the rot now manifesting within our Judicial system." He argues that the judgment was obtained on a fundamentally flawed premise as the court was led to believe that proper service had been effected when there was no proof of service at the defendant's registered address. He has requested a clear investigation into the conduct of the presiding Judge, the legal practitioners T. Ndhlovu and Partners, and the Sheriff, Maxwell Masunda.
"The integrity of our courts and the rule of law must be protected at all costs," Mapiki stated. "The people of Shamva South deserve justice and assurance that our judicial institutions will not be used as instruments to defraud and dispossess citizens."
The Bindura sheriff said he was not able to comment while lawyers Ndlovu and Partners were not picking.
Law Society of Zimbabwe spokesperson Richard Chidza said 'he had not yet received full information about the issue since it was addressed to the society's President."