Joana Mamombe

Background and Education

Mamombe went to Monte Cassino Girls High School where she finished her high school in 2011. She was the Gender officer for the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) from 16 November 2013 to December 2015.

Mambombe studied for a BSc in Biotechnology from Chinhoyi University of Technology. Mamombe attained a Masters degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Bergen in Norway from Aug 2016 to Aug 2018.

Political Career

2018 MDC-T Primary Elections

In 2018, Mamombe joined the race to represent MDC-T in the Harmonised Elections of 2018. She faced incumbent MP Jessie Majome in the primaries for Harare West constituency. In early May 2018, Majome announced that she was pulling out of the primaries as there were some irregularities. Some reports suggested that Majome had quit because party leader Nelson Chamisa wanted to impose Joana Mamombe in Harare West.^[1] Majome said that she felt the rules were being bent to accommodate Mamombe:

There is a qualification in terms of the criteria set by the party, only people who have been members of the party for five years can contest. To the best of my knowledge, my major opponent does not meet this criterion. The second is the issue of bending rules in order to accommodate her (Joana Mamombe)... We also have a problem with clear dishonesty by my opponent. My contestant does not reside in Harare West, but I have been made to understand that she used an address where she does not live, in the process deceiving the party.^[2]

In October 2023, Mamombe was named as the new Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate, Wildlife, Tourism and Hospitality in the 10th Parliament of Zimbabwe.

2019 Arrest and Treason Charges

On 2 March 2019, Mamombe was arrested in Nyanga while she was on parliamentary business and later charged with treason. She had been on the police wanted list since 25 January 2019. The evidence cited in her charges was a press conference she hosted in Marlborough on 14 January 2019 at which she made demands of the Zanu-PF government.

She appeared in Court on 4 March 2019 and the ruling was made the following day. She had her application for refusal of remand rejected by a Harare magistrate. The court ruled she was brought to court on time, only that the court was overwhelmed with other cases; arrest lawful and reasonable suspicion she committed the offence. She was remanded in custody until 19 March 2019.

Abduction

Joana and the other 2 MDC Alliance Youth leaders went missing after being arrested on Wednesday, 13 May 2020, after a flash demonstration in Warren Park. Their whereabouts were unknown until early Friday morning of 15 May 2020 when they were found dumped in Bindura in a bad state. They were later taken to Parktown Hospital for medical attention.

Twist in Abduction Case

The saga involving three arrested MDC Alliance officials Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova took a new twist on 9 September 2020 with a video disputing their abduction reports going viral on the internet. The State media documentary alleges that the three politicians faked the demonstration and were not abducted.

According to the documentary the girls were monitored through CCTV cameras and data usage to prove that they were not abducted. The girls are alleged to have gone to a Chicken Inn out to buy food during the day and used data throughout the night during the time they were said to be abducted.

Commenting on the matter Secretary for Information Nick Mangwana said, “We have always maintained that these abductions are fake. I have just seen a disgusting video showing how that trio set out to malign their country through fakery. How many of these so-called abduction are nothing but #AtrocityPropaganda?”^[3]

Arrested Again

Joana, Cecilia and Netsai were arrested again on 1 February 2021 and detained by police at Harare Central in Harare. No charges were levelled against them when lawyer Charles Kwaramba engaged the police. This appeared to be an arrest to investigate, contrary to the Criminal Procedure & Evidence Act, which requires an 'arrest after investigating.

Warrant of Arrest

On 15 September 2020, Harare Magistrate Biance Makwande issued a warrant of arrest against the Harare West constituency MP after she failed to appear in court to stand trial on charges of communicating falsehoods prejudicial to the state. Mamombe's lawyers told Magistrate Makwande that the opposition MP is currently detained at a medical facility in Harare following her abduction and enforced disappearance in May 2020 by some unidentified people who tortured her together with Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.

Mental Health Problem

State on Tuesday 22 September 2020 made an application for MDC Alliance legislator for Harare West, Joanna Mamombe, to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for mental examination. On 24 September 2020, Harare Magistrate Bianca Makwande ruled that Joana Mamombe must be detained at Harare Remand Prison for two weeks to allow government doctors to assess her mental aptitude for trial.^[4]

Justice Esther Muremba has ordered the immediate release of Joana Mamombe from Chikurubi Maximum Prison where she had been ordered detained by magistrate Bianca Makwande in order for 2 doctors to evaluate her under the Mental Health Act.^[5]

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  Joana Mamombe at Prison

Trivia

• Mamombe was the National Coordinator for the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Youth Alumni.
• In May 2018, she dismissed rumours that she was the girlfriend of MDC-T leader, Nelson Chamisa.^[6]

Awards

She has won the One Young World Politician of the Year for 2020 after being Shortlisted.

One Young World Politician of the Year 2020 Shortlist

References