Obert Chaurura Gutu

He is the senior and founding partner of the law firm. He holds BL (Hons) and LL.B. degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. In 2011, he submitted his Master of Philosophy degree thesis at the University of Zimbabwe. The title of his thesis is : “Rule of law in post independent Zimbabwe between the period 1980 – 2002: The implications of the observance and non observance of the rule of law in the development of constitutional law.” He was admitted to practice law in Zimbabwe in 1987. He is a member of the Law Society of Zimbabwe as well as the International Bar Association (IBA) where his membership number is 0052121. He was admitted as a member of the International Bar Association in February 1993. Obert Chaurura Gutu is a director and a shareholder in a number of companies with interests in the retail business sector, mining, real estate, agriculture, television production, travel and tourism. In January 1985, he was employed as a public prosecutor by the Ministry of Justice at the Harare Magistrates’ Court. He prosecuted several criminal matters both at the Harare Magistrates’ Court and also at the Mbare Magistrates’ Court. In March 1986, he was granted study leave by the Ministry to go and pursue a postgraduate law degree, i.e. LL.B. He completed the LL.B. degree programme at the end of 1986. He returned to the Ministry of Justice in November 1996 as a magisterial assistant.

He was admitted as a legal practitioner of the High Court of Zimbabwe in May 1987. In July 1987, he joined Messrs. Chirunda, Chihambakwe & Partners as a professional assistant. On the 1st of October 1990, he formed a partnership with Cassian Jakachira. The partnership was dissolved in July 1992 and he remained in practice under the style of Messrs. Gutu & Associates. He was elected to be the Senator for Chisipite in Harare during the harmonized elections that were held in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008. In Parliament, he was the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Legal Committee (PLC). He was also a member of the Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC) of the 7th Parliament of Zimbabwe.

He is one of the lawyers in Africa who has been engaged by the World Bank’s Doing Business project. He prepares and submits reports to the Monitoring and Analysis Unit Investment Climate Department He has a passion for reading and research. He has also been invited on several occasions by local NGOs and international organizations to present papers at workshops and seminars. On June 24, 2010, he was sworn in as the new Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs in the government of Zimbabwe. His core responsibility was to assist the Minister in formulating and implementing policies for the effective justice delivery system of Zimbabwe. He chaired the Ministerial anti-corruption committee and he also worked closely with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). He became chairman of the Family Court of Zimbabwe’s steering committee. He attended numerous workshops, seminars and conferences locally, regionally and internationally.

On 7 May, 2021, he was sworn into office by the President of Zimbabwe as a Commissioner of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission: one of the five independent constitutional commissions in Zimbabwe. He was a Commissioner of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission until 30 June,2024 when his term of office expired. Amongst his hobbies, he counts golf, karate and chess. He is a keen football fan. He regularly writes articles for both print and Online publications.