Zimbabwean lawyer Simba Chitando became a household name in South Africa after he sued South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Chitando sued Ramaphosa for cancelling the right of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) holders to stay and work in South Africa.

Ramaphosa and all ministers were cited as the third and fourth respondents, respectively. Initially, Ramaphosa had been cited as the first respondent before Simba Chitando amended the court application filed in the High Court of Pretoria.

Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi replaced Cyril Ramaphosa as the first respondent while his director general Livhuwani Makhode is the second respondent.

Here is a brief biography of Simba Chitando:

Background

He shares a surname with a top Zimbabwean government official Winston ChitandoSome publications have reported that Simba Chitando is related to Mines Minister Winston Chitando. One publication cites Simba as Winston Chitando’s child while another cites him as his nephew. Neither has confirmed if they are related or not.

He grew up in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa in 2000 to study.

Wife

 

 

As of January 10, 2008, Simba Chitando is married to a South African woman and has a child who is also a South African citizen.

Qualifications

Simba Chitando holds a Master of Commercial Law (LLM) degree from the University of Cape Town and an LLB from Rhodes University.  He graduated with his undergraduate degree in 2004 and his postgraduate degree in 2008.

Simba Chitando Biography
Simba Chitando (Image Via: LinkedIn)

Experience

Simba Chitando joined the Cape Bar in 2009 and the Johannesburg Bar in 2012.

Before he was admitted to the Cape Bar, he launched an urgent application in the Cape High Court against the minister of home affairs and the Cape Bar Council in 2008.

This was after the then home affairs failed to respond to an application which would allow Chitando permanent residency and the right to practise law in South Africa.

According to publicly available information, Chitando has represented a number of South African parastatals such as Eskom, SABC, South

African Maritime Authority (SAMSA), the South African National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), SANTACO and Transnet.

He has also represented top South African government officials; the South African Minister of Tourism and the South African Minister of Environment.

Simba Chitando has rendered his services to the Zimbabwean Embassy, the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit Association, the Zimbabwean Workers Union, and several other prominent businessmen and women in the SADC region.

Politics

Simba Chitando is also a member of Zanu PF and was elected Zanu PF Sandton Branch Executive Committee chairperson in October 2021.

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