JSC to recruit more judges for Gwanda High Court

MORE High Court judges are set to be recruited once the construction of the state-of-the-art Gwanda High Court has been completed, the Judiciary Services Commission (JSC) has announced.

The construction of the Matabeleland South High Court, which Government announced late last year was 95 percent complete, is part of the country’s efforts to move the wheels of justice closer to the people.

This week, JSC announced the start of a recruitment exercise for 10 High Court Judges and one Administrative Court Judge and called on members of the public to nominate suitably qualified persons for the vacancies with the JSC spokesperson Mr Daniel Nemukuyu saying the recruitment is to replace judges who died, resigned or were dismissed from service in terms of the country’s Constitution.

He said there will be a separate recruitment exercise for Gwanda High Court as soon as it is complete.

“It’s true that we are working flat out to decentralise the High Court but we first need to complete construction of the court structures before embarking on a recruitment drive. Currently, we are working on the Gwanda Court Complex which will house the High Court for Matabeleland South and once it is complete, we will start recruiting more judges,” said Mr Nemukuyu.

He said the vacancy at the Administrative Court arose following the retirement of Justice Herbert Mandeya.

“Recruiting new judges helps replenish the pool of judicial talent and maintain an adequate number of judges to handle the workload. It ensures that the judiciary remains robust and capable of delivering justice effectively,” said Mr Nemukuyu.

At the moment the country has 36 High Court judges.

JSC’s mission, in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe and best practice, is to promote the maintenance of a transparent, accountable,and independent judiciary and provide administrative support to the judiciary for an efficient and effective justice delivery system that inspires public trust and confidence in the rule of law.