By Staff Reporter
London, England — Former High Court Judge Mavis Dorothy Gibson, a pioneering legal figure whose judicial career spanned three countries, has died at the age of 85.
Judge Gibson passed away peacefully in London at 2:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday, May 21, after a protracted battle with cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones.
Born Mavis Dorothy Gumede on December 5, 1939, in Makokoba, Bulawayo, she was the third of 15 children.
Her father, Benjamin Gumede, worked as a clerk for the Southern Rhodesia Post Office.
Mavis’s early education began in Bulawayo, continued at St. Augustine’s Mission in Penhalonga, and culminated in her A-levels at Goromonzi High School.
Her professional journey began in broadcasting as a Ndebele newscaster for the Rhodesia Broadcasting Services. She was soon selected to serve as a secretary at Rhodesia House in London—a turning point that led her to pursue legal studies by night.
Eventually, she established her own law offices in Lincoln’s Inn, Holborn, and worked alongside prominent legal minds such as the late Judges John Manyarara and Frank Ziyambe.
Judge Gibson’s legal and judicial contributions spanned Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. She served with distinction on the High Court benches in Zimbabwe and Namibia, working alongside notable jurists including Judges Simpson Mtambanengwe, John Manyarara, and Wilson Sandura.
Following the death of her husband, Stuart Gibson, in 2001 while she was serving in Namibia, Judge Gibson retired and returned to live in England, where her husband’s ashes were laid to rest.
Family spokesperson and niece, Thandie Mambo, paid a heartfelt tribute to the late judge:
“As a family we would like to notify the nation of Zimbabwe of her passing at the age of 85 after a long illness.
“She served as a High Court Judge in both Zimbabwe and Namibia along her brother Judges Simpson Mtambanengwe, John Manyarara and Judge Wilson Sandura, among many others.
“It would be an honor for the family that she is remembered as other former Judges who have all passed on,” Mambo said.
Mambo also reflected on Judge Gibson’s influence on her family and society at large:
“While saddened to lose such a force of nature in the family, we are grateful that my Aunt has served as a beacon of light for the girl child in Zimbabwe.
“The legacy she leaves behind is that no matter who we are, we are not defined by gender, color, status, or station in life, but the effort we put into becoming who we want to be.
“She was the compass, the dew that fed our roots each waking day. It always seems impossible, until it is done,” Mambo added, quoting Nelson Mandela.
Funeral arrangements are currently underway. The family has expressed their hope that Judge Gibson will be remembered with the same national reverence as her distinguished judicial peers.
