Judge applicants accept 'pea nuts' for salaries

THIRTEEN of the 46 lawyers interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to fill vacant posts at the High Court yesterday revealed that they were ready to accept meager salaries given to judges saying they were driven by passion.

The interviewees told a panel led by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku that they were quite aware of the low remuneration offered by the JSC.

One of the candidates, Advocate Erik Morris (66), left the public in stitches when he told the panel that he had applied for the post well knowing that the commission was not paying much, but that he could "now afford to live a lower standard of life as a judge" considering that his children were all grown-ups.

Seasoned Harare lawyer Tawanda Chitapi, who has been in private practice for the past 27 years, said he did not believe that money and benefits should always be the ultimate consideration when one applied to become a judge, but told the panel that he looked at the career as a calling.

The interviews are set to continue until Saturday after which six candidates would be selected to sit on the High Court bench.