Zvikomborero Parafini
ZIMDANCEHALL artist Ras Pompy, who has previously been convicted of drug possession, yesterday found himself on a different side of the justice delivery system.
He was using music to educate the public at a Judicial Service Commission (JSC) stakeholders engagement.
The youthful musician performed informative jingles at the Harare Magistrates’ Court where the JSC was raising awareness about the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS).
It was a striking return to the court environment for the musician, this time not as an accused person but as an entertainer helping to take the Judiciary’s message to members of the public.
Ras Pompy used music to package information into an accessible form during an event that otherwise centred on the technical transformation of the country’s courts.
He shared the entertainment stage with Killer T, and Sugar Sugar Taruvinga Machokota.
JSC Secretary, Walter Chikwanha, took stakeholders through a practical demonstration of IECMS, explaining how the digital platform works and how court users can interact with the justice delivery system electronically.
The web-based system allows users to electronically file documents, make payments and track cases, while reducing the need for some physical interactions at court registries.
The JSC also believes the system will help close loopholes that have previously facilitated irregularities within court registries.
Chikwanha said the Judiciary had received complaints involving missing files and dockets, backdated court stamps and forged signatures.
By creating electronic records of activities carried out on the system, IECMS is expected to improve transparency and accountability while making it easier to trace how court processes are handled.
The engagement attracted Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, Harare Chief Public Prosecutor Tafadzwa Mupariwa, officials from the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, as well as members of the public.
The JSC is completing the rollout of IECMS to magistrates’ courts, with Harare and Bulawayo among the final areas to be incorporated into the electronic system.
