Zimbabwe: Revenue Officer Fired Over Zwl$157,836 Undercharge Loses Supreme Court Appeal

What the report says

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) revenue officer, Innocent Sithole, has lost a Supreme Court appeal over his dismissal for an undercharge involving warehouse rent and related customs charges. The case, reported by New Zimbabwe and distributed by AllAfrica, centered on a November 2020 assessment for goods weighing 61.12 tonnes, where the officer reportedly charged ZWL$5,280 for 44 days of warehouse rent and was later found to have undercharged by ZWL$157,836.96, while also failing to levy duty, penalties and interest.

According to the report, ZIMRA’s disciplinary body found Sithole guilty of misconduct under the authority’s employment code and dismissed him. His internal appeal also failed, after which he turned to the Labour Court. That court dismissed his challenge in August 2025, accepting that the conduct breached the terms of his employment and that the required charges and penalties had not been raised.

The Supreme Court then considered his final appeal, including an argument that mitigation had not been properly weighed before dismissal. The court ruled that the misconduct finding was supported by the evidence and that mitigation had not been properly raised earlier in the process. A panel of justices dismissed the appeal and ordered Sithole to pay ZIMRA’s legal costs. The decision underscores how employment and disciplinary tribunals can treat financial misassessment in customs administration as serious misconduct with job-ending consequences.