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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
Government has increased tariffs of court fees by over 150 percent, a development that has seen marriage licence fees increasing to $100 and liquor licence applications going up to $1 500. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed the increase in tariffs for court fees with immediate effect. Minister Ziyambi said his ministry was in the process of reviewing all fees to make them relevant to economic environment.
“We are in the process of reviewing all fees to make them relevant to the current economic environment after we introduced our own currency as the sole legal tender,” he said. “So, the review is to ensure that while they remain sustainable, they allow the courts to function.”
The increases are contained in Statutory Instrument 188 of 2019 (Magistrates Court (Civil) (Amendment) Rules, 2019 (No.1).
The SI effectively increased fees for civil courts with immediate effect. According to the SI marriage licence has been set at $100 from $35. Application of civil imprisonment is now pegged at $100 up from $20.
Liquor licence application (Bulawayo and Harare districts) for temporary application and late opening now costs $1 500 and $1 050 up from $500 and $350 respectively.
Certification of documents per page now costs $3 up from $0,50. Local court (a villager appealing against a ruling by a traditional leader) appeal now cost $50 from $5.
Notice of appeal and warrant of civil imprisonment are now on $50 from $10, warrant of execution against property $20 from $4, request for default judgement ZW$10 from $2.
Notice of pre-trial conference now cost $10 up from $2. Inspection of records is now $10 up from $4, while consent of transfer is now $10 up from $5 and notice of withdrawal is now $10 up from $2.
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