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Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza (third from left) reads a speech to officially open the 2018 legal year at the Bulawayo High Court yesterday — Picture by Eliah Saushoma

Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Judicial Service Commission is setting up anti-corruption courts in all the country’s 10 provinces to expeditiously deal with graft cases, a senior judge said yesterday.

In its expansion and access to justice programme, the JSC is also setting up a commercial court.

The courts are expected to be operational in the first quarter of this year.

Officially opening the 2018 legal year at the Bulawayo High Court yesterday, Judge of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza said the setting up of specialised courts was in line with the ideals of the new dispensation.

“In his inaugural speech after being sworn in, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa adverted to the scourge of corruption in Zimbabwe. He emphasised that his Government will have a zero tolerance policy towards corruption. In the same spirit, the JSC has since embarked on a journey to eliminate corruption by establishing specialised anti-corruption courts in each of the ten provinces in Zimbabwe,” she said.

Justice Gwaunza said the specialised courts are meant to deal with corruption related cases and dispose of them efficiently and effectively.

She said the project is being done in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Prosecuting Authority, the office of the Attorney General, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.

“We expect at least two courts to be operational in Harare and Bulawayo during the first quarter of the year. Still on corruption, I am happy to state that in the year 2017, none of our magistrates were charged with corruption-related acts of misconduct neither were any of our judges in all our courts. It is our sincere hope that the strategies in place to curb this scourge will bring total silence on the question of corruption in our judicial system,” said Justice Gwaunza.

Turning to the Commercial Court, Justice Gwaunza said the court was established last year as a division of the High Court and hopes are that it will impact positively on the Government’s ease of doing business.

“We look forward to the operation of the Commercial Court as it is a positive step in attracting foreign investments which will in turn boost the economy of our nation,” said Justice Gwaunza.

She said in decentralising the High Court, the JSC would be opening another High Court in Mutare after the opening of the Masvingo one last year.

Justice Gwaunza congratulated President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his inauguration as President of Zimbabwe, together with Vice Presidents Retired General Constantino Guveya Chiwenga and Cde Kembo Mohadi on their appointments.

She also congratulated Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi on his appointment as well as Advocate Ray Hemington Goba on his appointment as substantive Prosecutor General.

Justice Gwaunza said the focus of the courts this year were to uphold the right to access of justice.

“The concept of access to justice is one of the foundational core values of the JSC strategic plan and it is our desire as the judiciary that all the people of Zimbabwe should have access to justice without any hindrance.

“Access to justice should go beyond mere physical access to the courts. The courts demand that there be no physical technical or other barrier that frustrates litigants’ ability to access justice,” she said.

@Auxiliak