adminIn a telephone interview on Wednesday, the deputy secretary of the JSC, Mr Rex Shana, said people should not form an opinion that court officials have no protection.
“There is always a police officer in court when courts sit and it is their duty to protect court officials during court sessions and afterwards,” he said.
“Besides police court orderlies, prison officers are also in attendance to ensure the safety of the court officials and this is an isolated incident that should not cause alarm”.
Mr Shana could not be drawn to say what measures would be put in place to beef up the security of court officials.
Gweru magistrate Mrs Tancy Dube-Chipumha and prosecutor Miss Chipo Matshe last week sustained injuries when an accused person ran amok, jumped out of the dock and assaulted the court officials after he had been remanded in custody for sentence.
Living Madubeko (30, who is facing charges of shoplifting and his accomplice Geshom Muvingi (29) had appeared before Mrs Dube-Chipumha at the Gweru Old Prison Complex last week on Wednesday.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charge but were convicted and the court remanded them in custody to a future date so as to allow the State to check if they did not have any similar previous convictions.
Madubeko grabbed a chair and started assaulting Miss Matshe and Mrs Dube-Chipumha, who was in her office, heard some commotion and tried to rush and lock the door, but she was pushed over during the stampede resulting in her sustaining a fracture on her ankle.
Mrs Chipumha-Dube was transferred from a hospital in Gweru to Bulawayo where she underwent an operation and was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Mr Shana said they would look at ways of compensating the injured magistrate amid reports that the National Social Security Authority had said they could not compensate her.
It is understood they are saying civil servants cannot be compensated by the authority as they are only contributing towards pensions.
Online Reporter