High Court Judge Faces JSC Probe After Husband Finds His Flirty WhatsApps To Married Clerk

Husband Reports High Court Judge To JSC Over Flirty WhatsApps To His Wife

A High Court judge is facing a formal Judicial Service Commission (JSC) investigation after a husband discovered flirtatious WhatsApp messages from the judge on his wife’s mobile phone. The discovery has led to an official misconduct complaint against Justice Pisirayi Kwenda of the Harare High Court.

Husband Submits Screenshots To Authorities

The probe was triggered when the husband of a married court clerk, who worked as a subordinate to the judge, accessed the WhatsApp conversation and submitted screenshots to the JSC. The judicial oversight body, chaired by Chief Justice Luke Malaba, is now reviewing the evidence.

ZimLive reports that it has seen the message exchange. It began with the judge writing, “I miss you.” The clerk reportedly responded, “Really?” before their discussion turned to work schedules. Referring to upcoming vacation duty, the judge wrote in Shona, “Ne case yembudzi iyoyi (With this goat case),” an apparent reference to a recent high-profile fraud trial involving a government goat tender.

The clerk replied, “Yaa pange paipa, I hope tools down now.” Justice Kwenda’s subsequent message turned suggestive.

“..and tools in,” he wrote, following it with a “see no evil” monkey emoji.

The woman was seen laughing in her response, asking, “Kkk in where?”

Judge’s Defence Focuses On Privacy Breach

The exchange is understood to have occurred shortly after Justice Kwenda, on 8 December 2025, sentenced businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu to jail for fraud concerning an US$88 million (approx. R1.6 billion) agriculture ministry goat supply contract.

When asked by the JSC to respond to the complaint, legal sources state that Justice Kwenda’s defence centred on a violation of privacy. He argued that the husband unlawfully intercepted the private messages. The married court clerk involved has reportedly told the commission that “nothing happened” physically between them.

The JSC must now determine if the messages constitute a breach of the judicial code of conduct. Chief Justice Malaba will make the final ruling on any potential disciplinary action. JSC spokesperson Daniel Nemukuyu declined to comment on the ongoing matter on 7 February 2026. The husband who filed the complaint also stated “no comment” when contacted.

This case recalls a prior judicial scandal in 2021, which resulted in the removal of Judge Thompson Mabhikwa from the bench after a similar personal relationship with a court clerk led to a major scandal.

After he became romantically involved with the clerk, she accessed his phone while he was asleep, discovered he was involved with other women, and circulated nude images from the device to a judges’ WhatsApp group. This act triggered the disciplinary proceedings that resulted in his dismissal.