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Senior Reporter
Members of the public have for the first time been given an opportunity to nominate six people they feel are fit to be appointed judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court in line with the provisions of the new Constitution.
The invitation by the Judicial Service Commission followed changes to the Constitution that were adopted last year when in the past the judges would come from a list recommended by the JSC to the President.

Those interested have up to April 14 to submit completed nomination forms with attached nominee’s curriculum vitae to the JSC.
The nomination forms can be obtained from the office of secretary of the Judicial Service Commission at Old Supreme Court Building at the intersection of Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Third Street.

They can also be obtained at any Provincial Magistrate in charge of a province or by visiting the website: http://www.jsc.org.zw where they can be downloaded.

Of the six judges, three will be for the High Court and the other three for the Supreme Court.
“In terms of section 180 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, members of the public are hereby invited to nominate suitably qualified persons to fill the above positions in the Supreme Court and the High Court,” said the JSC in a statement.

The JSC said section 178 of the Constitution provided that a person was qualified for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court if he or she was a Zimbabwean citizen and at least 40 years old.

Subsection (1) (a) reads: “He or she has been a judge of a court of unlimited jurisdiction in civil or criminal matters in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch or English is an officially recognised language; or (b) for at least ten years whether continuously or not, he or she has been qualified to practice as a legal practitioner- (i) in Zimbabwe; or (ii) in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch or English and English is an officially recognised language and is currently qualified to practice.”

In order to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court, the JSC said a person must be a fit and proper person to hold the office as a judge.
Last month, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku swore in eight new commissioners of the Judicial Services Commission in compliance with the new Constitution that requires the appointment of 13 commissioners, up from the six who used to run it.

Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Judge President George Chiweshe, High Court judge Justice Happias Zhou, chief magistrate Mr Mishrod Guvamombe, Law Society of Zimbabwe president Mr Lloyd Mhishi, accountant Mrs Priscilla Mutembwi and two other lawyers — Mrs Priscilla Madzonga and Mr Josphat Tshuma — were the newly appointed commissioners.