‘Judiciary requires adequate funding’

Chinamasa said due to the increase in the number of court cases, there was need to improve the conditions of service of judiciary staff.
“Given the phenomenal increase in litigation, the judiciary, no doubt demand expansion, improvements in their conditions of service and in the future, some decentralisation,” he said.
“I am happy to say that after the past 10 turbulent years, the newly composed High Court and Supreme Court benches are taking root and growing in confidence.”
Minister Chinamasa took the opportunity to elaborate on the structure of the country’s justice system.
He said at independence, the country inherited a justice system that was full of whites, save for office orderlies and court interpreters.
Minister Chinamasa said the colonial justice system was comprised of magistracy, the High Court Bench and the Supreme Court.
He said the set up was then undermined by mass exodus of white judicial officers, leaving the country literally without magistrates.
Minister Chinamasa said Government introduced a one-year-course of non-degreed magistrates to cover the gap left by the whites. He said the course was still there for those with two Advanced Level passes.
Surprisingly, Minister Chinamasa said, High Court and Supreme Court judges remained behind while their colleagues were leaving the country in droves.
He said after independence, Government re-established traditional courts presided over by traditional chiefs and headmen.
“For sometime, the customary law court and judicial system remained parallel to the common law system, with the only common denominator being the fact that appeals from the customary law courts and those from the common law courts were referred to the Supreme Court which was the final Court of Appeal,” he said.
“Later, we decide to establish a single hierarchy and merged the customary law court system into our mainstream justice system into our mainstream justice system with the chiefs and headmen becoming the lower tiers of the judiciary with its apex, the Supreme Court.”
Minister Chinamasa said the traditional courts were recognised under the country’s constitution and everyone Zimbabwean should respect them. He said anyone can be tried by a traditional leader except the President.
Minister Chinamasa also explained functions of other courts in the country such as the Administrative Court, Labour Court among others.