derick.khumalo
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
CONSTRUCTION of the Gwanda Magistrates Court complex has reached 75 percent completion, with works expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza, accompanied by Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission Mr Walter Chikwanha and other officials, toured the court complex on Thursday to assess progress on the project.
Construction works have gathered pace this year following the timely release of funds by Government.
Once complete, the Gwanda Court Complex will house the country’s sixth High Court and will have nine courts and 65 offices.
The Gwanda Magistrates Court is currently housed at the District Development Coordinator’s offices, where it has operated for nearly two decades. Officials have been working in limited space, affecting service delivery.
Ensuring the completion of the project remains one of Government’s priorities as it seeks to improve justice delivery infrastructure across the country.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works architect Mr Kudakwashe Kutshwayo said the project could be completed by year end if funding continues to be released consistently.
He said roofing works were now 85 percent complete, while most of the superstructure works had been completed.
“Of late the pace of the project has significantly improved due to an improvement in the disbursement of funds. The works we are doing now include roofing which is at 85 percent completion. If we continue receiving funds at this pace we will manage to complete the project by year end,” he said.
Mr Kutshwayo said works had also been done to upgrade the structure to meet modern standards, including replacing steel windows with aluminium frames.
He said digital technology was being incorporated into the building to support the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS).
The state-of-the-art complex is expected to accommodate approximately 500 Government workers once complete.
Construction of the Gwanda Magistrates Court started in June 2004 but stalled in 2008 due to financial challenges. The project resumed in 2019 before work later resumed in April 2022 after Government allocated resources.
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