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Codelia Mondela, Chronicle Reporter
The backlog of cases is ballooning at both the High Court and the Magistrates’ courts in Bulawayo because the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is failing to bring accused persons to court as it has no transport.
Some courts have temporarily closed because accused persons they are supposed to attend to are not coming to court following the breakdown of the ZPS truck.
The piling up of cases has affected the Remand, Provincial and Regional magistrates’ courts as well as the High Court.
The breakdown of the truck seems to be recurring with increased frequency this year.
Bulawayo Chief Public Prosecutor, Mrs Rosa Tariro Takuva yesterday said trials are being postponed at the High Court, Provincial and Regional courts because accused person were not coming to court while remand courts have temporarily closed for the same reason.
Mrs Takuva said the transport problem was not only affecting accused persons and courts but relatives as well as witnesses who were travelling to court only to be told to come another day.
“Some relatives come from far away places and are as a result using a lot of resources to travel to the city only to be told the cases have been postponed,” she said.
Mrs Takuva said Government was also incurring unnecessary expenses in paying for witnesses who would not have rendered any service to the State.
“The obtaining situation is forcing accused persons to stay on remand for longer periods waiting for their cases to be finalised,” she said.
Mrs Takuva said the High Court term started on May 14 but only four out of the 32 murder cases set down for the term ending on August 3, have been completed.
“We have only managed to complete four so far. Under normal circumstances we are supposed to have completed seven by now,” she said.
In January this year, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi said his Ministry would work tirelessly in making sure cases, especially those involving corruption, were dealt with and completed as part of its 100-day plan.
“In terms of the National Prosecuting Authority, we want them to set up dedicated corruption courts that will deal with corruption cases and make sure that they are expedited and completed within a reasonable time where people can notice that something is happening,” he said.
The ZPCS truck that ferries accused persons from Khami Remand Prison where most accused persons are taken, broke down barely two weeks after it had been fixed.
ZPCS Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Banda said yesterday that the truck was being attended to.
“The truck servicing Khami Remand Prison is off the road but is being attended to. It is not our intention not to bring inmates to court,” Ass Comm Banda said.
She said the remaining truck could not service both Khami Remand Prison and Bulawayo Prison hence the failure to bring some accused persons to court.
She, however, said all was being done to ensure the truck is back on the road as soon as possible.
@MondelaC
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