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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
The Constitutional Court will be operating from Mashonganyika Building along Samora Machel Avenue with effect from Monday.Movement of property from the Supreme Court Building along Kwame Nkrumah Avenue to Mashonganyika Building started on Tuesday and it expected to be completed by end of this week.
Chief Registrar of the Constitutional Court Mr Walter Chikwanha described the movement as a partial one saying the Supreme Court of Appeal will remain at the old building.
Mr Chikwanha said the the movement was part of the judiciary’s expansion drive to reduce backlogs as the Supreme Court of Appeal will now be sitting as two courts from both the Supreme Court Building and Mashonganyika Building.
The staff component at the Supreme Court of Appeal has increased to nine following the appointment of three new judges, Justices Antonio Guvava, Bharat Patel and Ben Hlatshwayo, hence the courts can now sit at the same time from both buildings.
“We are partially and gradually moving to Mashonganyika Building. This means the Constitutional Court has completely moved while part of the Supreme Court of Appeal will remain here with part of the support staff.
“We now have nine judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal and three judges should sit at a time in the Supreme Court appeals. Therefore we can now afford to have two courts sitting at a time calling for the expansion to Mashonganyika Building.
“We are not abandoning the Supreme Court Building as some of our staff will remain here to assist when the second court of appeal sits,” said Mr Chikwanha.
Mr Chikwanha also indicated that the relocation of the nine-member Constitutional bench to Mashonganyika Building was also done in search of spacious space to accommodate the nine judges in line with the new Constitution.
In the past, only five judges would sit as a Constitutional Court and they would fit well in the Supreme Court building, but the new Constitution increased the number of judges to nine.
On all the sittings conducted in terms of the new Constitution, the nine judges would squash each other to fit in the place designed for five judges at the Supreme Court Building.
That resulted in an additional row of judges being created to accommodate the additional judges.
Renovations at Mashonganyika Building started in 2011 until mid this year when it was completed.
The Constitutional Court will be sitting once every Wednesday while the Supreme Court of appeal will sit four days a week.
Online Reporter