Magistrates to get top of the range vehicles

All regional magistrates across the country will soon be allocated top of the range vehicles in a bid to motivate them, chief magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe has revealed.

In his key note address at the Magistrates Association of Zimbabwe (Maz) Annual General Meeting which began in Victoria Falls on Thursday, Guvamombe reiterated that all magistrates who engage in corrupt activities will be sniffed out of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

"Despite their entitlement to it, regional magistrates have, for years, gone without decent motor vehicles. I am pleased to report that every regional magistrate is going to have either a Toyota Hilux or a Ford Ranger double cab," said Guvamombe.

"We have already allocated a good number of these to regional magistrates and hopefully by not too distant future, every regional magistrate would have been covered.Every court station has at least one vehicle for its operations,"said Guvamombe.

Turning to corruption, the chief magistrate said the scourge was ‘intolerable in the JSC'.

"We have said corruption is intolerable and that we will not raise our hands in exasperation in our fights against it. It is a stubborn plague, but we are convinced we are moving in the right direction and one day we will reach the required levels of transparency. Let me, therefore, once again whisper a gentle warning to those of us in this room who partake in this illicit and nicodemus dealings and say only a fool tests the depth of the river with both feet.

"Equally, ears that do not listen to advise accompany the head when it gets
chopped off. In shona we have our own "ndambakuudzwa akaonekwa nembonje pamhanza"".

He called on magistrates to be corruption free for the effective delivery of justice.

"I have said it before that the majority of our magistrates are incorruptible and are clean.I urge you to keep up that cleanliness.It adds to the efficiency we are talking of.The effective delivery of justice requires it.It requires the system to be accessible, affordable, free from corruption, free from undue influence, free from unreasonable delays and that judgements are enforced effectively,"said Guvamombe.

Maz is having its AGM which is running concurrently with a training workshop in the resort town.

The AGM is set to end tomorrow where a new executive will be elected.

Over 80 magistrates have converged for the AGM.