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Bulawayo Bureau
THE Office of the Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe has opened offices in Gweru as it moves to bring services close to the people.
The offices which are on 2nd floor of First Mutual Centre at Corner 5th Street and Robert Mugabe Way, started operating on Monday.
People from the Midlands province used to travel to either Harare or Bulawayo to seek services of the Master of the High Court.
In its programme to decentralise offices, the Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe has since opened offices in Masvingo, Mutare and Chinhoyi.
Its duties include registration and administration of deceased estates, insolvent estates and companies under corporate rescue.
Other duties include that of registration and safe keeping of wills, administration and supervision of funds held in the guardian’s fund.
The Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe has encouraged people to register their estates to safeguard their properties for the benefit of their children and other relatives.
One of the clients who was at the offices Mr Tinashe Mawere from Gokwe said when he heard about the opening of the offices, he was quickly summoned by his siblings to come and register the estate of their father.
“I am here to register the estate of our father. He passed away last year but we had not registered his estate.
Since the offices have now been opened in our province, my siblings sent me to register the estate and I am grateful that I have been served,” he said.
An official from the Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe who spoke on condition of anonymity said they opened the offices on Monday.
“We are on full throttle and we are happy with members of the public’s response. They just need to be familiar with this building but I am sure it won’t be difficult since it is centrally located,” said the officer.
The cascading of services to the people comes at a time when Gweru City Council recently handed over a one hectare stand to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for a High Court building in the city.
This will enable a resident judge to be based in the Midlands rather than having judges coming from either Bulawayo or Masvingo on circuit.
Council also handed over a stand in Mkoba for a second Magistrates’ Courts complex so that it could serve the city’s biggest suburb which now has 21 villages.
Online Reporter