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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter

THE Supreme Court has opened a registry in Bulawayo to cater for litigants from Matabeleland region and the Midlands province in line with the Government’s commitment to implementing the constitutional provision on devolution.

In an interview yesterday, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) deputy secretary, Mr Sithembinkosi Msipa said the latest development will go a long in alleviating transport costs among other expenses incurred by litigants from the southern part of the country as they were forced to travel to Harare to file their appeals. 

“We have with effect from June 1, 2019, opened a Supreme Court registry in Bulawayo specifically to cater for litigants from the Midlands province and the two Matabeleland provinces who in the past had to travel to Harare to file appeals. We have since deployed a record and information assistant and an assistant registrar to man the office” he said.

Mr Msipa said they were in the process of modernising the offices housing the registry in line with the Supreme Court standards.

“We are busy putting the appropriate signage as well as customising the office to make it look modern as an issuing office and in addition to that there will be an information kiosk where people can make an electronic inquiry of their cases filed in Harare so that they are able to track and make a follow up,” he said.

Mr Msipa said the latest development is in line with the JSC’s thrust of ensuring access to justice for all and decentralisation in line with Government’s devolution policy.

JSC is planning to set up a permanent Supreme Court in Bulawayo soon after completing the ongoing decentralisation of the High Court.

The Supreme Court permanently sits in Harare and goes on circuit in Bulawayo thrice per year. 

Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) councillor and prominent Bulawayo lawyer, Mr Godfrey Nyoni said decentralising the Supreme Court will help people from the southern region to access justice and cut litigation costs. 

“As LSZ, we are saying the decentralisation of the Supreme Court by setting up a registry in Bulawayo, is a move in the right direction in terms of access to justice, especially for people in this region,” he said. 

Mr Nyoni said the Supreme Court registry will also help reduce cases of abuse by litigants.

“It will also help cuts legal costs for litigants, for instance, you have a client in Bulawayo filing an appeal at the Supreme Court and as a law firm I will have to look for a corresponding lawyer in Harare to file on behalf of my client and that is an inhibiting factor and costly on the part of a client who will have to bear the costs,” he said.

– @mashnets