JUSTICE IN ZIMBABWE 19 ____________________________________________________________________ All in all, the war veterans have for a long time now been sending a clear message that the courts were only free to convict and punish everyone else except ZANU (PF) activists. The physical attack and subsequent abduction of the Chipinge magistrate, whose whereabouts are still unknown …, is the most serious message to that effect to date. It is not entirely alarmist to say that that attack represented the final nail in the coffin of the rule of law in Zimbabwe … More than that, it heralded frightening prospects in that, henceforth, no one who does not support ZANU (PF) can expect a fair trial. All magistrates and judges will now be afraid to pass fair judgments as this could have dire consequences on their own personal safety. In short, it means the end of justice, law and order. The justice system as we used to know it and as obtains in all civilised countries has now been emasculated. The decision to go on what was virtually a spontaneous strike by magistrates and other court officials in Manicaland – action which, needless to say, is unprecedented – signals the profundity of alarm sparked off by what has been done to Chikwanha among those members of the judiciary who refuse to compromise their professional ethics by allowing themselves to be turned into puppets of ZANU (PF) …” 25 On 21 August 2002 the Trustees of the Legal Resources Foundation issued this statement about the incident: “The Trustees condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the brutal assault on and apparent abduction of a judicial officer who was carrying out his judicial duties and the attack on a legal practitioner who was lawfully representing his clients. These acts, reportedly perpetrated by ‘war veterans’ in Chipinge, support the widely-held perception that the rule of law has long since ceased to exist in Zimbabwe. This latest reported attack in Chipinge has sounded its death knell. The silence from certain normally vociferous members of the Government, who are quick to condemn alleged illegalities on the part of anyone perceived as an opponent and to preach about the need to uphold the law, is extremely disturbing and cr eates the impression that the criminal actions that have taken place are being condoned and that the Government is prepared to see the rule of law being subverted. The LRF calls upon the Government to immediately take firm and meaningful steps to restore the rule of law, by ensuring: