JSC on judges recruitment drive

Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is on a drive to recruit more judges for the superior courts in an effort to cut the workload of the two benches. In two separate notices issued yesterday, the JSC is inviting members of the public to nominate eligible candidates to fill in eight positions at the High Court bench and two for the Supreme Court. The nomination form provided by the JSC should be used.

It is obtainable from the office of the Secretary of the JSC at Causeway Building along Central Avenue, Harare, or from the office of a provincial magistrate in charge of a province.

It is also available on the JSC website: www.jsc.org.zw.

Completed nomination forms (one form for each nominee) must be delivered to the JSC at the address given, or to the office of a provincial magistrate in charge of a province.

Each nomination form submitted must have the nominee’s curriculum vitae attached.

The deadline for submission of nominations is close of business on April 30.

In terms of Section 179 of the Constitution, a person qualified for appointment as a judge of the High Court or Supreme Court must be at least 40-years-old.

The person should have been a judge of a court with unlimited jurisdiction in civil or criminal matters in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch or English, and English is an officially recognised language.

The suitably qualified person under the same section could be anyone who has at least seven years whether continuously or not, been qualified to practise as a legal practitioner in Zimbabwe or in a country in which Roman-Dutch or English and English is an officially recognised language; or he or she is a Zimbabwean citizen, in a country in which the common law is Roman-Dutch or English, and English is an officially recognised language; and is currently so qualified to practice.

Most importantly, for someone to be appointed as a High Court or Supreme Court judge, he or she must be fit and be a proper person to hold office as a judge.