THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has 41 vacant magistrates’ posts, which have remained unfilled following a government freeze on recruitment, in the process compromising justice delivery, NewsDay has learnt. BY KENNETH NYANGANI
Speaking at the Magistrates Association of Zimbabwe annual general meeting in Nyanga at the weekend, Chief Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe said the shortages had also affected staff morale.
“In the department, there are 41 vacant posts for magistrates, and this has been the case since 2010. We are not able to recruit because of the job freeze. This militates against efficient and effective justice delivery. It overworks those in post and compromises on quality of service offered,” he said.
“We are alive to the job freeze. Since 2010, not even a single magistrate has been added to the establishment, yet the litigating public has increased drastically. For example, there are only 25 regional magistrates against a population of about 14 million people.”
Guvamombe, however, said despite the staff shortages, judicial officers should shun corruption.
“The majority of magistrates have proved that they are not corrupt. Those few, who might still be engaging in corruption must repent. The long arm of the law will catch up with you if you continue with nefarious activities.
We have noticed an improvement in quality of work,” he said.
“The JSC is rolling out a case tracking system. Let us embrace the new development whole heartedly.”
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JSC deputy secretary, Walter Chikwana said since 2010, they had lost 64 magistrates through resignations, discharge from service, retirement and death.
He said he was aware of the frustrations magistrates were going through as they were not being promoted from one grade to another.
“The majority of you have been stuck in one grade for a long time. This again is an area that has been affected by the general freeze and it is outside our capabilities to deal with it. We, however, continue to engage the powers-that-be so that special exceptions may be given to magistrates,” Chikwana said.
