CATHOLIC Lawyers Guild in Zimbabwe (CLGZ) has slammed the impending order for judges to sit for training exercises by Zanu PF through its Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, arguing that such plans violate the late national hero's legacy.

The backlash follows a leaked communiqué which revealed that all judges were scheduled to participate in an induction led by the Zanu PF-affiliated institution at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) from the 4th to the 5th of July.

The lawyers' group questioned the rationale behind organising such an exercise in the first place, arguing that it even violates the legacy of Herbert Chitepo, whom the institution is named after.

"Forcing judges to sit through the Chitepo School of Ideology is contrary to what the late national liberation hero fought for. At the African Conference on the Rule of Law in 1961, the late national hero said that;

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"The legal profession consists of judges, practitioners and teachers of the law. It is to these persons that the protection and defense of the Rule of Law is entrusted. All must be as far as possible from both executive and social pressures," CLZG said.

The frustrated barristers collectively condemned the politicisation of judges' training and called on all arms of the government to respect the principle of separation of powers and the rule of law, which are embedded in the supreme law of the country.

They maintained that subjecting Judges to the 'indoctrination' exercise directly contravenes Section 164 of the Constitution, which bars any vested interests from interfering with the judiciary.

"Subjecting Judges who must at all times be independent and seen to be independent to an ideology of one party to the exclusion of others not only compromises the judiciary but attacks its independence and impartiality.

"We note that this is all happening at a time when the public confidence in the judiciary is low, given the widely held public perception that the judiciary is captured by the Executive," added CLZG|.

Meanwhile, authorities were forced to fold their tails and cancel the training program after incessant criticism of the exercise.