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Mukudzei Chingwere

Herald Reporter

Zimbabwe’s judiciary is committed to facilitating the attainment of constitutional justice on the African continent, Chief Justice Luke Malaba has said.

He was speaking in Victoria Falls recently at the seventh congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CJCA).

Justice Malaba assumed the chairmanship of the CJCA and in this role he is expected to play a critical role in the promotion of constitutional justice in Africa.

“On behalf of the judiciary of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my behalf, it is observed that the seventh congress culminated in the commencement of Zimbabwe’s chairmanship of the CJCA,” he said.

He was pleased with Zimbabwe’s commitment to establishing and furthering the CJCA’s objectives throughout its stint as Conference Chairman.

“For Zimbabwe, fulfilling the constitutional framework on which the CJCA is founded is an abiding commitment.

“The Statute of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa reaffirms the conference’s commitment to the promotion of constitutional justice in Africa.

He also said, the Judiciary of Zimbabwe commits to facilitating the attainment of the objectives of the CJCA as other past presidents have done and continue to do.

“The entrenchment of constitutionalism is a process that is founded on continuous efforts to adhere to the principles it emphasises,” said Chief Justice Malaba.

He said the materials presented by the different speakers, at the conference, were rich and demonstrated the unique thoughts and approaches to issues of human rights and constitutional interpretation.

Chief Justice Malaba noted that in all of the discussions, the underpinning factor was human dignity.

“This is not just a theoretical exercise, but a call to action to uphold and promote dignity in all aspects of our lives.

“As shown by the discussions that we had, human dignity is an important concept running through all constitutional processes on which our democracies are established,” said Chief Justice Malaba.

He thanked President Mnangagwa for his and the Government’s support for the seventh congress, and also extended gratitude to Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga for officiating at the opening ceremony.

Chief Justice Malaba said the support and participation of the Government enriched the congress. The next congress will be held in Egypt after two years, following the agreement by the president of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt Boulos Fahmy Iskandar to host it.