Lombe Chibesakunda
Lombe Phyllis Chibesakunda (born 5 May 1944) is a Zambian lawyer and diplomat, and has been the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Zambia, Solicitor General, Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, acting Chief Justice of Zambia, and has served as an Ambassador to Japan, the United Kingdom, the Vatican, and the Netherlands.[1] Chibesakunda is the first woman president of the COMESA Court of Justice, in Khartoum, Sudan.
Early life
Lombe Phyllis Chibesakunda was born in Zambia on 5 May 1944.[2][3] She was an orphan, and was later adopted by Garfield Todd as an adult.[4] She went to Chipembi girls school, then later studied at National Institute of Public Administration in Lusaka and also Gray's Inn in England [3]
Career
Chibesakunda took part in the Lancaster House talks that led to the independence of Zimbabwe, and actively campaigned against South African apartheid.[5]
Chibesakunda was the acting Chief Justice of Zambia from 2012 to 2015.[6]
She is alleged to have stayed on in the role past retirement age, and passing "irregular judgements in favour of the ruling PF and their allies.", with the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) and Zambia's former Attorney General Abyud Shonga filing a statement of claim.[7][8]
In 2015, Chibesakunda was elected president of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Court of Justice, based in Khartoum, Sudan, and is the first woman to hold this position.[1][9] She succeeded Nzamba Kitonga of Kenya in the role.[5] The last president her lady swore-in in her tenure was president Edgar Chagwa Lungu in August 2015.
Personal life
She has a son, Chita Chibesakunda.[8]
See also
- First women lawyers around the world
References
- "Zambia : Judge Lombe Chibesakunda elected president of the COMESA Court of Justice". lusakatimes.com. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Chibesakunda, Lombe Phyllis (1944–) - Dictionary definition of Chibesakunda, Lombe Phyllis (1944–) - Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "New Chief Justice Chibesakunda 13 years above retirement age, few months younger than Sakala – Zambian Watchdog". www.zambiawatchdog.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- Judith Garfield Todd (2005). Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe. Zebra. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-1-77022-002-7. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Judge Lombe Chibesakunda elected president of the COMESA Court of Justice - Zambian Eye". zambianeye.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Times of Zambia - A look at high profile cases of 2013". www.times.co.zm. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "LAZ petitions High Court to remove Phillis Lombe Chibesakunda as Acting Chief Justice – Zambian Watchdog". www.zambiawatchdog.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Now Chibesakunda's son grabs 'Food Lovers Market' – Zambian Watchdog". www.zambiawatchdog.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Hon. Lady Justice Lombe P. Chibesakunda". comesacourt.org. Retrieved 8 November 2017.