Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is intensifying public awareness efforts ahead of the October 1 launch of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) in Midlands Province, with officials set to engage court users and justice sector stakeholders in Gweru today.
The IECMS Day programme will be held at the Gweru Magistrates’ Court as the commission prepares to transition the province’s courts from predominantly paper-based processes to electronic case management.
The rollout is part of Phase 4.4 of the national courts digitisation programme, which also covers Mashonaland West Province.
JSC secretary Dr Walter Chikwana said the awareness campaign was intended to familiarise members of the public with the electronic system before its official launch.
“We are having an IECMS Day in the Midlands Province and in Mashonaland West Province, where our members of staff, including myself and other personnel from Harare, are going to move throughout the provinces in public places, interacting with members of the public,” he said.
Dr Chikwana said the commission had been equipping courts and training judicial officers, staff and stakeholders in preparation for the rollout.
“We are launching IECMS on October 1 here in the Midlands Province and in Mashonaland West Province. We are set,” he said.
“We have been equipping the courts, training members of staff and training our stakeholders. I am happy with the progress that we have made so far.”
Preparations have included the installation of court recording and transcription machines, as well as the distribution of laptops and computers to judicial officers and members of staff.
IECMS is designed to enable litigants, legal practitioners and other court users to file documents electronically, monitor cases and access court services without relying solely on physical records.
The digitisation programme began in 2022 when President Mnangagwa commissioned the country’s first paperless court during the opening of the Commercial Division of the High Court.
The system has since been extended to the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Labour Court and divisions of the High Court. The JSC is now extending the programme to Magistrates’ Courts, which handle a significant volume of litigation.
Dr Chikwana said six provinces had already been covered under the phased rollout, with Midlands and Mashonaland West becoming the latest provinces to join the programme.
To support the transition, the JSC has deployed national trainers to work with court officials, legal practitioners, members of the uniformed forces, traditional leaders and members of the public.
The commission has also established e-filing offices and internet hubs to assist users with registration and electronic filing.
In the longer term, the JSC plans to establish additional e-filing facilities at selected police stations and chiefs’ homesteads to improve access to justice, particularly for people in rural communities.
Dr Chikwana said the electronic system would also help address the long-standing problem of missing court records by ensuring that documents were securely stored digitally.
“The problem of missing court records has long bedevilled the justice system, but that is now becoming a thing of the past. Documents will be securely stored on a digital platform, enhancing transparency, accountability and public confidence in the administration of justice,” he said.
Gweru-based lawyer Mr Esau Mandipa welcomed the IECMS Day initiative, saying it would help members of the public and legal practitioners prepare for the transition.
“The IECMS Day will therefore provide the public with an opportunity to understand and prepare for the October 1 transition, when civil and criminal courts in the Midlands are expected to begin operating under the digital system,” he said.
“As members of the legal system, we are pleased to have this positive development that makes it easy for us to file documents electronically, monitor cases and access court services.”
