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Fungi Kwaramba in Chinhoyi

The era of unfinished projects hanging in limbo forever is gone and the Second Republic will ensure that transformative works that are currently underway will be completed timeously, President Mnangagwa has said.

Officially commissioning the new one-stop Chinhoyi Court complex, which houses both the lower and upper courts, as well as other vital justice delivery cogs in Chinhoyi yesterday, the President said there was no room for complacency under the New Dispensation as every person must justify his/her employment.

“The fact that we are gathered to witness the successful completion of this project signifies my administration’s resolve and commitment to deliver on its development oriented policies and programmes. The era of starting projects that never get completed is long gone,” he said.

Like many other projects, the Chinhoyi Court has been lying derelict for decades with works only recommencing in 2018 following the birth of the Second Republic.

“The culture of action, success and excellence is the bedrock of the Second Republic’s value system and ethos. All projects underway will therefore be timely completed so that our people can enjoy the modern and quality services and goods. 

“State institutions must now seek new achievements and victories as opposed to perpetually basking in accomplishment of yesteryear. We are a Government and a people on a journey to create and build the Zimbabwe we all want. Hence, each institution must play its part for the country to maintain its trajectory and multi-faceted targets set out under NDS1. 

“Everyone must justify his or her employment in the particular capacity that he or she occupies. Our actions and results must speak louder than our words in order to make Vision 2030 a reality to all citizens,” the President said.

The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works superintended the construction of the ultra-modern one-stop court and yesterday handed it over to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which was represented by Chief Justice Luke Malaba.

In line with the Second Republic modernisation thrust, the new court will use the integrated electronic case management system (IECMS), a unifying platform that will connect all institutions in the justice delivery chain.

In due course, the country’s courts will be paperless and fully automated, with the IECMS able to track court cases from the beginning to the very end.

“Every nation’s infrastructure contributes significantly to the sustainable growth of the economy. It is a measure of the quality of life of citizens in a country. 

“The National Development Strategy 1 identifies infrastructure development as one of the key pillars to the national vision. This is underpinned by the rapid construction and restoration of basic infrastructure services such as roads and other key targeted sectors of energy, water, sanitation, Information Communications Technology (ICT) and housing,” he said.

In line with devolution and the Second Republic buzz phrase that no one will be left behind in terms of development, modern courts have been set up in Mt Darwin, Lupane, Hwange and Mutare with the Chinhoyi Court complex becoming the second biggest in the country after Harare’s Magistrates Court.

The commissioning of the modern complex came a day after the President launched the Zimbabwe National Housing Settlement Policy in Harare and also commissioned modern houses for doctors.

The President added that under the NDS1, the overarching objective of the Governance National Priority Area is to improve justice service delivery, among other aspects. 

“Court infrastructure and the effective and unimpeded access to the courts are some of the vital elements in improving justice delivery.

“Furthermore, it is imperative that the courts are closer to the people. Hence, the establishment of the High Court here in Chinhoyi is a fulfilment of this requirement. This will reduce distances travelled by litigants and witnesses who used to travel long distances to and from Harare to access the services of the High Court.”

Apart from modernising infrastructure towards Vision 2030 to become an upper middle class economy, the Second Republic is also entrenching the rule of law with the independence of the judiciary of paramount importance.

“As we celebrate the opening of Chinhoyi Court Complex today, it is important that the Judiciary remains seized with the broader mandate reposed to it by the Constitution. When facilities such as this court complex have been provided, reports of undue delays in finalising matters in the courts become worrisome. Reports of judgments taking years to be delivered by some of our judicial officers must be a thing of the past.

“Judicial independence does not in any way mean doing away with accountability. Every citizen has a right to the expeditious delivery of justice, without delay. 

“The notion of judicial independence requires that the judiciary tackles such issues using its administrative mechanisms in line with the policy of own self-regulation, in order to remove any perception of interference by the other arms of Government. 

“An effective and efficient justice delivery system therefore serves to assure every potential litigant that they can genuinely have their day in court and their disputes resolved without delay,” he said.

With the new court coming with modern trappings that include virtual meetings facilities and video conferencing, the President said embracing ICT is no longer a luxury but a fundamental requirement for every public institution in the  country. 

The President was accompanied by his deputy Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, State Security Minister Owen Ncube and other senior Government officials.

Meanwhile, the President, whose Government recently established an inter-ministerial taskforce on drugs, reiterated his call for the nation to come together and fight drug abuse, especially among young people.

“The courts must equally play their role by ensuring that adequate attention is directed to cases of possession, trafficking and offences associated with drugs and substance abuse,” he said.

Turning to judicial training, the President said this is the panacea to an independent and efficient Judiciary that dispenses quality justice with minimum delays. 

“It is my fervent hope that the Judicial Training Institute of Zimbabwe which I am launching today, will contribute to the skills development of all your judicial officers,” he said.