In yet another glaring case of political persecution disguised as law, opposition MP Joana Mamombe is set to face trial on July 9 under charges identical to those her co-accused were just acquitted of. This is not justice—it’s targeted harassment dressed up in legal robes. The government of Zimbabwe, through its ruling party Zanu PF, has once again proven it will weaponize the judiciary to destroy dissenting voices.
Mamombe, a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), was arrested in May 2020 alongside Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova. Their so-called crime? Protesting hunger during the COVID-19 lockdown. After four years of legal battles, Chimbiri and Marova were cleared. But somehow, Mamombe must still stand trial—for supposedly organizing the same protest, with the same people, for the same cause.
Her lawyer Alec Muchadehama asked the question every thinking Zimbabwean is asking: “Who was she demonstrating with, if not those two?” It’s a question Zanu PF and its captured courts have no logical answer to. But logic is not the point—punishment is. This is not about law. It’s about power.
Joana Mamombe has faced nothing short of psychological warfare since she entered politics at the age of 25. In 2019, she was jailed on trumped-up treason charges. In 2020, she and her fellow activists were allegedly abducted and tortured. Instead of investigating the crime, the state charged her with lying about it—a case she only recently beat in 2023. Throughout it all, her health suffered, yet the courts showed no mercy, even ordering her removal from a hospital to Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
This is what Zimbabwe’s justice system has become—a political hit squad in suits and wigs.
Zanu PF is not satisfied with merely beating the opposition at the polls; they want to crush them, jail them, and humiliate them. They want to send a message to every young Zimbabwean, especially young women: politics is not for you unless you praise the ruling party. Speak out, and you’ll end up in handcuffs, hospital beds, or both.
What makes this trial even more cruel is that Mamombe is not just a politician—she has been working. As chairperson of the Environment Committee, she has led important work on environmental reform. She’s been doing what real leaders do: serve the people. But Zanu PF doesn’t care about good governance. They care about control. And Mamombe’s refusal to bow down has made her a target.
Now, she’s also paying the price for standing against the regime’s attempt to hijack the opposition. After Nelson Chamisa’s exit from CCC, state operatives and Mnangagwa’s CIO have been meddling in opposition ranks to install puppets. When Mamombe refused to accept a reappointment under the imposed leadership, it was more than just political protest—it was a declaration of independence. And that made her even more dangerous to the regime.
What’s happening to Joana Mamombe should alarm everyone who believes in democracy, inside Zimbabwe and beyond. Her upcoming trial is not just about her. It’s a referendum on the rule of law in Zimbabwe. It’s a test of whether courts will remain a refuge for the Constitution or continue serving as a sword for Zanu PF.
The international community must not look away. Silence is complicity. The people of Zimbabwe must also take note: if they can do this to an elected MP in broad daylight, what will they do to ordinary citizens in the dark?
Joana Mamombe’s courage in the face of injustice is a reminder that even in a captured state, resistance lives. Her fight is not just her own—it’s a fight for every Zimbabwean who dreams of a country where justice is blind, not bought.
July 9 will not just be another court date. It will be a moment of truth. Will Zimbabwe continue to slide deeper into dictatorship, or will the world stand up for one woman—and the democratic values she represents?