adminSenior Court Reporter
CHIEF magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe yesterday urged magistrates to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the new constitution and warned against criminal abuse of office, saying those engaging in corrupt tendencies would be sacked.
Speaking during a swearing in ceremony of two new magistrates for Bulawayo, Nyasha Kuture, 28, and Sheunesu Matova, 26, at Tredgold Building, Guvamombe said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) would ruthlessly deal with corrupt officials.
“The JSC has resolved to fight corruption among its ranks and will ruthlessly deal with anybody caught engaging in these nefarious activities. We have a policy to effectively and speedily deal with all cases of corruption brought before our courts and those engaging in such acts will be dismissed forthwith.
“When you choose to be a magistrate, you have to be conservative, which is the nature of the profession and the restrictions which it imposes on your social life. However, when you take your oath of office, you publicly affirm to behave well at all times and to shun behaviour which will put the office of magistrate into disrepute,” said Guvamombe.
He also urged magistrates to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the new constitution, which he said was a key element in their discharge of duty.
“There is no need to emphasise the dynamism of the law of judicial officers, every magistrate must know that they are obliged to be equally dynamic and keep pace with the changing laws. It therefore calls for a thorough appreciation of relevant parts of the new constitution, particularly those which impact on the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act,” said Guvamombe.
He added: “The provisions relating to the rights of arrested and detained people must be fully understood. The constitution provides that you will be personally liable as a magistrate if you perpetuate the illegal detention of an arrested person.”
Guvamombe applauded the courts for making strides in reducing the backlog of cases throughout the country.
He attributed this to sacrifices by magistrates working for long hours including weekends. The two new magistrates who took their oaths of office before Guvamombe will be deployed to Western Commonage and Tredgold magistrates’ courts in Bulawayo.
Kuture holds a Bachelor of Law Honours degree from the Midlands State University while Matova acquired the same degree from the University of Zimbabwe in 2012. The two magistrates joined JSC in September last year as trainees.
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