Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) is calling for the introduction of online courts in Zimbabwe in order to have continuity of cases in the face of emerging crises like the Covid-19 pandemic which has seen the shutting down of courts.
This has seen cases being postponed creating a huge backlog.
LSZ president, Mr Wellington Magaya said the closure of courts was equal to a stoppage of justice.
“It is our belief that if the Judiciary Services Commission and the Chief Justice in charge of the courts, had adopted some of these platforms which are available online then we would not find ourselves in this situation where justice stops. Courts are public platforms, I am not sure what the challenge is but I do not see why that should not be done,” he said.
Courts were shut down owing to the national lockdown with urgent matters being heard while other cases have been remanded to later dates.
Mr Magaya noted that Zimbabwe’s neighbour, South Africa has embraced the new technology and most cases are now being argued online using platforms such as Zoom and Teams.
“I am not sure what the challenge is but I do not see why that should not be done,” he added.
Mr Magaya further said the welfare of lawyers had been severely affected following the advent of Covid-19.
“Most lawyers have resorted to working from home and have also reduced the number of staffers that they employ because their income has been reduced drastically. It is because of a number of factors; we serve the public and business in general and these have been affected negatively by Covid-19. Their revenues have gone down and that means they do not have the capacity to pay our legal fees. That has affected directly, our revenue streams,” added Mr Magaya.
@NyembeziMu
Online Reporter