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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
The Constitutional Court has moved from the Supreme Court chambers and will be sitting from Mashonganyika Building along Samora Machel Avenue with effect from Monday next week.Movement of property from the Supreme Court Building along Kwame Nkrumah Avenue to Mashonganyika started on Tuesday and it is expected to be completed by end of this week.
Chief Registrar of the Constitutional Court Mr Walter Chikwana described the re-location as a partial one, saying the Supreme Court of Appeal would remain at the old building.
Mr Chikwana said the movement was part of the judiciary’s expansion drive to reduce backlogs as the Supreme Court of Appeal would now be sitting as two courts from both the Supreme Court Building and Mashonganyika Building.
The staff complement 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 two courts can now sit at the same time from both buildings.
“We are partially and gradually moving to Mashonganyika Building,” said Mr Chikwana.
“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 for 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.”
Mr Chikwana said the relocation of the nine-member Constitutional Court bench to Mashonganyika Building was done in search of more 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 struggle 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 judges. Renovations at Mashonganyika Building started in 2011 and lasted until mid this year. The Constitutional Court will be sitting once every Wednesday, while the Supreme Court of Appeal will sit four days a week.
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