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Bulawayo Bureau
CONSTRUCTION of the Gwanda Magistrate’s Court has gained momentum after Government under the Second Republic allocated funds towards completion of the project which has been set as a priority under the auspices of the 100 day cycle.
Construction of the building began in June 2004 but works came to a stop in 2008 due to financial constraints. The project resumed in 2019 but momentarily. Works later resumed in April last year after Government allocated resources.
Gwanda which is the provincial capital for Matabeleland South Province does not have a proper structure forcing court officials to use make shift court rooms. 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 court rooms.
The Gwanda Magistrate’s Court which is a state of the art building is expected to accommodate approximately 500 government workers once it is complete.
It will house all relevant departments within the court system. It will also house a High Court meaning that high level offences like murder and divorce will be handled locally. This will ensure the timeous completion of cases and an effective justice system.
Completion of the court will also help to ease the office space problems faced in Gwanda. Under the Second Republic, 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 home economics complex, Gwanda State University, Filabusi Registry offices among others.
Speaking after a tour of the project yesterday Minister for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo said Matabeleland South has a number of key development projects underway, a sign that Government’s intervention was spread out across the entire country.
He said it was Government’s priority to see the speedy completion of projects that contribute to the country’s vision of becoming an upper middle income economy by 2030.
Dr Gumbo said the Gwanda Magistrate’s Court project has been prioritised for completion and is being monitored under the auspices of the 100 day cycle programme.
“This project started way back in 2004 and stalled. Under the Second Republic the project has taken off and with the release of funds it will be completed. This project will greatly assist the people of Matabeleland South who at the moment have a problem with the delivery of justice because they have to travel to Bulawayo to have some of their cases attended to. Some end up missing their cases due to resource constraints,” he said.
Dr Gumbo: “This is one of major and critical projects that are being undertaken in Matabeleland South. If funds are released on time and with the pace of workers here, this project can meet the targeted time. My role is to monitor the implementation of projects under the 100 day cycle. Within a certain period of time we expect certain work to have been done on projects and with this project I will engage the Ministry of Finance to ensure that funds are released on time.”
Dr Gumbo said Government has embraced the 100 day cycle programme in order to facilitate a systematic and coordinated approach to project monitoring. He said this strategy has assisted in accelerating the implementation of projects countrywide.
Dr Gumbo said his tour of development projects plays an oversight function meant to ensure timely implementation of Government programmes. He said access to justice to all citizens is a cornerstone of democracy hence the need for the Gwanda Magistrate’s Court to be completed timeously.
“Government is making deliberate efforts to ensure that even people in the remote areas of the country have easy access to justice. I say this because substantial amount of resources have been committed towards building additional courts in various provinces and districts in order to improve access to justice,” he said.
Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Abedinico Ncube said the Gwanda Magistrate’s Court project which had stalled for a very long time was finally taking shape thanks to Government under the leadership of President Mnangagwa. He said the new court will help boost the faith of the public in the justice system.
He said the public will be able to get their services under one roof.
Cde Ncube said completion of the project will also result in job creation. He said it was pleasing to see that Government was giving equal attention to development projects in Matabeleland South as other provinces.
Gwanda Provincial Magistrate, Ms Charity Maphosa said their staff was scattered across various Government complexes which was causing administrative challenges.
“We have two court rooms against six magistrates which causes so many challenges in completing cases on time as we have to alternate in these two court rooms. Our staff has limited working space which causes overcrowding. The new court will really help to ease a lot of problems and in the long run it will help to reduce crime as we will be offering an effective justice system in Gwanda,” she said.
Matabeleland South Provincial Public Works Director Mr Sijabuliso Ncube said they have completed all the civil works in terms of excavation and plastering. He said there was an urgent need for funds to install the underground pipes before rains could disturb the trenches.
Online Reporter