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Temba Dube Senior Reporter—
COURTS have an important role to play in the implementation of ZimAsset, the economic turn around strategy for the country, by speedily dealing with economic offences to ensure there is minimal disruption to national fiscal growth, Chief magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe has said.

Speaking at the swearing in ceremony of four magistrates at the Tredgold Magistrate Courts in Bulawayo, Guvamombe said issues of national development were also very important for the judiciary.

The four, sworn in on Friday, are Portia Mhlanga, Vimbai Mutukwa, Tinaye Tashaya and Olivia Mashava-Mashayire.
“We need to play our role in the implementation of the government economic blueprint, ZimAsset. This programme dovetails into our own strategic plan. It calls for a stop to endless talk shows and discussions and emphasises tracking progress of implementation of objectives,” said Guvamombe.

“Our role as the judiciary is to ensure the speedy and fair trial of economic offences so that economic progress is not unduly bottlenecked.”
He said the judiciary need to unwaveringly fight corruption within its systems and speedily with issues of corruption brought before the courts.

Guvamombe said the four were sworn in at a time when the magisterial manpower was strained to the limit. “All magistrates across the country are working very long hours in court, with some clocking in excess of 100 hours of court work every month. It can only be our hope that these new magistrates will boost our compliment and lessen the pressure on their colleagues,” he said Guvamombe.

He urged the new magistrates to work with their colleagues to ensure they never passed sentences that went against the constitution. “The decisions and pronouncements of the constitutional court must never escape your attention. You are duty bound to ensure that your decisions in court are not ultra vires the provisions of the constitution,” said Guvamombe.

Speaking at the same occasion, chief prosecutor Mary Cheda said the appointment of four more magistrates would pave the way for the reopening of the Entumbane circuit court that has not been operational for nearly 10 years owing to a shortage of magistrates.

“It will also allow for the opening of more courts at Tredgold and another at the Gwanda magistrate courts. The case backlog would be significantly reduced,” said Cheda. “We also hope a fast track court will be introduced so that simple and petty offences are quickly disposed of once brought before the court.”

She said it was the wish of the National Prosecutors Association (NPA) to have well read magistrates whose decisions would not burden the higher courts with unnecessary appeals.

Christopher Dube-Banda, representing the law society reminded the magistrates that they had to conduct themselves professionally both at work and outside to get public confidence in judiciary decisions.

“Among the people that attended the event was Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo,   representatives from the President’s office, prisons, police and the legal fraternity.