Transforming Zimbabwe's judiciary requires strong leadership

Retired Chief Justice Luke Malaba has said transforming Zimbabwe's judiciary requires strong leadership, continuous learning and investment in people, noting that resistance to technological reform was one of the biggest challenges of his tenure.

Speaking on his retirement day on Thursday, Malaba reflected on his time leading the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), saying public service demanded "mental agility," competence and a commitment to improving citizens' lives.

"You are in a public office because if you fail to be conscious of that, you fail to understand the duties of public office," he said.

He said effective leadership was not about preserving existing systems, but about driving institutional change that delivers results for citizens.

"You lead the nation. You lead for the people," he said, adding that the JSC must function as an instrument for meaningful societal transformation.

A key focus of his tenure, Malaba said, was judicial modernisation through the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), which initially faced resistance from some judicial officers accustomed to paper-based processes.

"They didn't want it. They were saying they were too old and why are you bothering? We are happy with the paperwork," he said.

Malaba said he adopted a gradual approach to enforce the transition to digital systems, progressively reducing reliance on paper until electronic systems became the norm.

"I started withdrawing bit by bit the paper. Suddenly, they discovered there was a computer. There was no paper," he said.

He credited training and mentorship programmes for enabling the judiciary's transition, stressing that leaders must continuously learn and empower others.

"You must learn all the time," he said.

Malaba also emphasised humane leadership, saying institutional reform must be driven through persuasion rather than coercion.

"You don't harass employees. You must be as nice as possible to an employee because that employee also has the right of surviving without you."

He said a key objective of his leadership was to build a resilient judiciary capable of functioning effectively beyond individual leadership.

"You must create many Chief Justices in the system," he said.

Malaba's retirement marks the end of a long tenure that saw significant reforms in court administration and the gradual digitisation of Zimbabwe's judicial processes.