Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is working towards speeding up the completion of the Gwanda Court Complex, a project that is critical in terms of an effective justice delivery system in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
Upon completion, the Gwanda Court Complex which is 60 percent complete, is expected to house the country’s sixth High Court.
Speaking in Gwanda recently during a familiarisation tour to prisons and correctional facilities in the country, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Nobert Mazungunye said once complete, the court will augment the envisaged Gwanda smart prison.
“Part of the purpose of my tour is to see the various projects that the Government has embarked on to ensure an improved service delivery and to identify the gaps which are there. I’m pleased by the work which is being done here because this is a crucial project,” he said.
“The magistrates’ court in Gwanda is at the moment housed at the District Development Coordinator’s offices and has been there for almost 20 years now. They have been operating from limited space which has been affecting service delivery.”
Deputy Minister Mazungunye said it remains one of Government’s top priorities to ensure that the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court is completed.
“This project will help the judiciary to execute their duties without interference and to have free space to conduct their operations. The magistracy and prosecution will be separated which will help entrench a quality justice delivery system in our country,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mazungunye said an effective justice system is crucial to the development of the nation hence Government is investing in developing modern judicial facilities across the country.
Construction of the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court began in June 2004 but work stalled in 2008 due to a lack of funding. Under the Second Republic, the project resumed in 2019 following the allocation of funds.
The Gwanda Court Complex will house the magistrates’ court, regional court, and the High Court.
Gwanda, the provincial capital for Matabeleland South, does not have a proper structure forcing court officials to use make-shift courtrooms. The court officials are operating from various Government complexes in Gwanda.
The court has an establishment of six magistrates who take turns to utilise two small makeshift courtrooms.
The Gwanda Magistrates’ Complex is expected to accommodate about 500 Government workers once it is complete.
Under the Second Republic, the Government has moved in with speed to complete key infrastructural projects that have stalled for years.
Other projects that have resumed in the province after stalling for years include Tuli-Manyange Dam, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic’s Home Economics Complex, Gwanda State University, and Filabusi Registry offices among others.
The government is also set to construct a smart prison in Gwanda with a capacity of housing about 1 300 prisoners as part of efforts to decongest the facility.
The project is part of efforts by the Government to modernise prisons most of which are still operating with infrastructure that was built in the early 1900s. Gwanda Prison was constructed in 1910.
The new Gwanda Prison which will be located at the new Gwanda Prison Farm site will also be ideal as the current prison is located in the central business district.
“One of the ways of improving the justice delivery system is through ensuring that the staff has proper working space and that there is adequate staff. From there, we have to also ensure that the people who are convicted in our courts are housed in proper rehabilitative facilities which can serve their role of being correctional facilities,” said Deputy Minister Mazungunye.
“Construction of a smart prison and state-of-the-art court in Gwanda is an example of ensuring excellence. We will not have modernised facilities in Gwanda only, but we plan to replicate such facilities across provinces.” —@DubeMatutu
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