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Zvikomborero Parafini, Court Reporter
The Judicial Service Commission has banned all court weddings at all its stations countrywide in a bid to reduce chances of the spread of COVID-19.
Weddings in their nature attract crowds and Harare Magistrates Court solemnises 30-40 marriages each day which results in the court being overcrowded by litigants as well as the weddings guests.
Following the notice by President Mnangagwa on protection measures, Chief Justice Malaba has ordered that all trials and non-urgent hearings must be postponed for a period not less than two months except urgent matters, bail applications and initial remands.
All weddings have been cancelled and parties should approach the court in two months for rebooking depending on the situation. Malaba has also banned all hearings in chambers and in instances where hearings are held, they should be confined to parties involved in the case and their legal practitioners only.
The Judicial Service Commission has also undertaken to sanitise high contact places regularly, mandatory hand sanitisation and to ensure social distancing.
The Judicial Service Commission has also said that Legal practitioners and litigants attending court sessions are required to be sanitised when going in and outside the court, to maintain a distance of at least two meters from the next person when attending court or registry.
The JSC has also made available at all their courts a disinfectant and paper towels for everyone to be able to disinfect any immediate surface and to frequently wash hands or rub them together with an alcohol based sanitiser for at least 20 seconds.
—H-Metro
Online Reporter