In
a
statement
posted
on
his
Facebook
page
on
Saturday,
the
President
said
he
had
welcomed
Hon
Malaba
to
State
House
and
handed
over
an
agricultural
mechanisation
package
to
support
his
transition
from
public
office.
The
package
includes
a
tractor,
a
Nissan
UD
truck,
a
boom
sprayer
and
a
planter.
President
Mnangagwa
said
the
gesture
was
in
recognition
of
Hon
Malaba’s
“outstanding
service
spanning
decades,
unwavering
commitment,
and
exemplary
legal
leadership
within
the
Zimbabwean
judiciary”.
was
my
pleasure
to
welcome
the
recently
retired
Chief
Justice,
Luke
Malaba,
to
State
House
today,”
the
President
said.
He
added
that
the
equipment
was
intended
to
help
the
former
Chief
Justice
embark
on
agricultural
activities
after
retirement,
urging
him
to
apply
his
experience
in
the
sector.
“As
he
retires
from
the
judiciary,
I
encourage
him
to
leverage
his
vast
expertise
in
the
agricultural
sector.
Our
land
is
a
vital
asset,
and
productivity
must
persist
at
all
levels,”
he
said.
Hon
Malaba
retired
last
month
after
serving
as
Chief
Justice
since
2017,
having
previously
held
senior
judicial
roles,
including
Deputy
Chief
Justice.
His
tenure,
however,
was
marked
by
controversy,
particularly
over
constitutional
interpretation
and
judicial
independence.
In
2021,
he
came
under
scrutiny
after
issuing
a
directive
extending
his
tenure
beyond
the
constitutional
retirement
age,
a
move
that
was
challenged
in
court
and
sparked
public
debate
over
the
independence
of
the
judiciary.
Although
the
Constitutional
Court
initially
upheld
the
extension,
the
decision
was
widely
criticised
by
legal
experts
and
civil
society
groups.
He
also
presided
over
several
high-profile
political
and
electoral
cases,
some
of
which
drew
accusations
from
opposition
parties
and
human
rights
groups
that
the
judiciary
was
not
sufficiently
independent
in
politically
sensitive
matters.
Mr
Malaba
and
the
judiciary
have
consistently
rejected
claims
of
bias,
insisting
that
all
rulings
were
based
on
the
law.
Despite
the
controversies,
the
government
has
frequently
praised
his
leadership
of
the
judiciary.
In
his
message,
President
Mnangagwa
thanked
Hon
Malaba
for
his
service
and
wished
him
success
in
his
post-retirement
agricultural
ventures.