Mavis Gibson Explained

Mavis Gibson
Office:	Judge of the High Court of Zimbabwe

Mavis Gibson is a Zimbabwean lawyer and judge who served on the High Court of Zimbabwe and was the first female and longest serving-justice of the High Court of Namibia.

Born Mavis Gumede in Zimbabwe, Gibson was originally a journalist.^[1] In the 1970s, she was a barrister with chambers in Lincoln's Inn, London.^{[2] [3]}

Gibson was a Judge of the High Court of Zimbabwe for eleven years. Although some sources identify Gibson as Zimbabwe's first female judge, Kelello Justina Mafoso-Guni holds the distinction of becoming the country's first woman magistrate in 1980.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Gibson was appointed a Judge of Namibia's High Court on 18 December 1995.^{[7] [8]} At times she also served as an Acting Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Namibia.^[7] On her retirement in April 2008 she was the longest-serving member of the High Court.^[7]

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Africa

Notes and References

1. Web site: Obituary – Lupi scared even men with hair on their chests. The Standard. 9 May 2003. 27 December 2017.
2. Book: 538. Justice of the Peace, Volume 143. 1979. Justices of the Peace Ltd.
3. Book: 1708. The Law Society's Gazette, Volume 70, Part 1. The Society. 1973.
4. Book: Levitt, Jeremy I. . Black Women and International Law: Deliberate Interactions, Movements and Actions . 2015-04-30 . Cambridge University Press . 9781316298404.
5. Book: Independent Zimbabwe . 1985 . Department of Information, Government of Zimbabwe . en.
6. Book: Sub-Saharan Africa Report . 1986 . Foreign Broadcast Information Service. . en.
7. Web site: Ndauendapo appointed to High Court. Werner. Menges. Namibian. 13 May 2008. 27 December 2017.
8. Web site: Maphios Cheda appointed full-time High Court judge in Namibia. Bulawayo 24 News. 11 September 2013. 27 December 2017.