By Staff Writer
Supreme Court judge Justice Feliciah Chatukuta has died at the age of 63, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced on Saturday.
In a condolence message, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, the JSC commissioners, judges and magistrates expressed “deepest condolences to the Chatukuta family,” confirming that the long-serving jurist passed away in Harare on November 22.
She reportedly suffered cardiac arrest.
Justice Chatukuta joined the bench on August 29, 2005, when she was appointed a High Court judge. She served for 16 years before her elevation to the Supreme Court on June 3, 2021.
A University of Zimbabwe-trained lawyer, she graduated with an LLB in 1985 and went on to serve as a public prosecutor, a part-time lecturer at UZ and a director in the Legal Aid Directorate before joining the judiciary.
Prominent advocate Thabani Mpofu paid tribute to her as “a principled jurist, steadfast in her views and moved only by the most cogent argument once she took a view.”
“The legal community is poorer for her loss,” he said.
The JSC said its thoughts and prayers were with the Chatukuta family, adding: “May the Lord provide them with comfort during this difficult time.”
The news of her death has prompted a wave of sorrow from the highest levels of the judiciary. Chief Justice Luke Malaba expressed the collective grief of the legal fraternity. In his official statement, he extended the Commission’s deepest sympathies to the Chatukuta family.
He was quoted saying:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. May the Lord provide them with comfort during this difficult time.”
