Justice Malaba calls for modernisation of Zimbabwe judiciary

CHIEF Justice Luke Malaba yesterday toured Bulawayo courts to familiarise himself with their operations and called for the modernisation of the judiciary and use of modern technology by court officials. He urged the provincial magistrate, Mr Elias Magate, to replace the furniture in most provincial courts at the Tredgold building.

"Some of these chairs are fit to be used in farms and they do not qualify to be used in this modern working environment. Some of these rooms used at courts look like they are dump site areas," said Chief Justice Malaba after touring the fast track court. He emphasised the need for magistrates to be well versed with new information technologies for research purposes.

"Laptops are a modern necessity for everyone in any job. It will make perfect sense for magistrates to be given laptops so they are better equipped to read and research on their cases. We do not want a situation where lawyers come to court with latest information around law and our magistrates cannot say no because they are not well read or in touch with technology," he said.

"With laptops and Wi-Fi, magistrates can access the virtual libraries so they can read and research for knowledge."

According to Justice Malaba, court interpreters need reorientation programmes to help them deal with their attitudes in dealing with people. He also took the chance to clear the air on members of the Judicial Service Commission allegedly being blocked from furthering their studies.

"We never said people should not study, we only said they apply and we take it from there. They are encouraged to develop themselves for better service delivery," said Chief Justice Malaba.

Chief Justice Malaba will today officiate at the official opening of the High Court in Bulawayo.