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Rutendo Nyeve and Natasha Sipindiye, Sunday News Reporters
THE Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) has commended the courts for going digital through the implementation of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) which entered its third phase on Friday.
The IECMS is a web-based case management system that automates and tracks all aspects of a case life cycle, from initial filing through to disposition and appeal. It is a shift from the traditional way of doing things which was characterised by physical filing and hearing of cases.
In an interview with Sunday News, LSZ President Mrs Rumbidzai Matambo commended the development saying it was high time the technological advancement was embraced.
“As a stakeholder in the justice delivery system we welcome the development as it allows our members to render their services effectively. It is high time that we all move away from physical filing of documents and court processes and join other jurisdictions who have since modernised their systems.
By reducing human interface, we hope the system will eliminate problems created by human error and also reduce the potential for corruption. We have actively encouraged our members to modernise their practices by procuring electronic gadgets, setting up stable Wi-Fi at their offices and attending the training sessions held by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC),” said Mrs Matambo.
She said as lawyers, they encouraged the JSC to continue upgrading the infrastructure and equipping staff and officers with the digital tools to ensure the smooth implementation of the system.
JSC spokesperson Mr Daniel Nemukuyu said the system was being implemented in phases with the first one having been a trial run.
“At first it was implemented as a trial run, there were demo accounts and we tried it and saw that it works. The first phase of IECMS was successfully implemented on 1 May 2022 in the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and the Commercial Division of the High Court. On 1 February 2023, the second phase was launched at the Labour Court and Administrative Court.
These courts have gone paperless and are now effectively operating. On Friday we implemented the third phase in the High Court General division. The last phase will be rolling out the system at the magistrate’s courts,” said Mr Nemukuyu.
He said the IECMS had numerous advantages for all stakeholders as it was convenient and time effective. It also takes justice to the doorsteps of people.
“There are a number of advantages. The system allows online notifications through email at every stage of the case (filing, pre-trial, hearing, decision pronouncement), electronic signature, electronic stamping and electronic calendar. There is easy access to justice as geographical barriers are curtailed as the system is accessible on smart phones, tablet, and computer anywhere,” said Mr Nemukuyu.
He said while the system comes with electronic case filing and electronic payment of court fees, it also helps follow-up of cases and their current status and next status online.
“The system helps individuals keep up with court schedules on the system calendar, enhances easy management of individual cases, authenticity of data and audit trail,” said Mr Nemukuyu.
Following the successful implementation of the third phase on Friday, the High Court will not accept hard copies from litigants while all pending cases have been captured in IECMS and parties, legal practitioners, and prosecutors to those will be linked through the court request feature.
The JSC said the first service remained physical while litigants could make use of the sheriff to serve their processes and would need to physically provide the documents to the sheriff.
“The sheriff of the High Court is responsible for the execution of writs which can be sent to the Sheriff through a sheriff request within the system. The implementation of the Sheriff of the High Court will bring about the concept of e-auctioning which is envisioned to serve the purpose of organizing the auction sale in the execution process of court decisions,” said Mr Nemukuyu.
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