Tsholotsho, Inyathi magistrates impress JSC

THE Judiciary Services Commission (JSC) has commended Tsholotsho and Inyathi Magistrates Courts in Matabeleland North for their quick case disposal ratio but expressed concern about the performance of Western Commonage Court in Bulawayo.

In an interview, JSC secretary Mr Walter Chikwana, who is on a monitoring and evaluation visits of magistrates courts, High Court and sheriff offices in the region, said he was impressed with how Tsholotsho and Inyathi courts were handling their cases and also the rate at which cases were disposed.

“For instance in Tsholotsho they only have two outstanding cases, which is amazing. I was however not impressed with the slow disposal of cases at Western Commonage, we have to interrogate this and come up with solutions to whatever challenges they may be facing. Our people must not be inconvenienced upon seeking justice,” said Mr Chikwana.

He said that on his visit to Tsholotsho, he also noticed that the station has serious challenges when it comes to an alternative source of power whenever there are power outages as that affected service delivery, especially after the introduction of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS).

“I immediately took corrective measures in that regard by making sure a working generator will always be on standby. The other challenge too is the state of the magistrate’s house there, it needs renovations and the Public Works department has since been informed to attend to that as a matter of urgency,” said Mr Chikwana.

In Inyathi, said Mr Chikwana, he observed that the two magistrates stationed there were sharing one office but said remedial action was already being taken.