By Prince Chese
THE Integrated Electronic Case Management System took off on Wednesday October 1, 2025, at Beitbridge as the Judiciary Services Commission continued rolling out digitalisation of the country’s courts.
Although there were a few glitches here and there as the new system expected to bring paperless court functions, by mid-morning pressure eased on workers getting used to the new approach.
An Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) is a digital platform that automates and tracks all aspects of a court case’s life cycle, from initial filing to appeals, with the goal of enhancing efficiency, improving transparency, and transitioning to a paperless judicial system.
Systems like Zimbabwe’s ZimIECMS integrate various courts under a single IT framework, enabling virtual appearances, streamlining processes, and improving access to information for legal practitioners and the public.
Zimbabwe officially launched IECMS on May 1, 2022, starting with the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and the Commercial Court Division of the High Court.
The system is a digital transformation of the justice system, facilitating features like e-filing, virtual court hearings, online case tracking, and e-payments.
The IECMS rollout is being done in phases, with the Labour and Administrative Courts joining in February 2023, and magistrates’ courts being integrated starting in the second half of 2025.
At Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Charity Maphosa Maphosa said her court had successfully launched and was now on line.
“Similarly the provincial court is on and it is working,” she said.
“The digital system is streamlining case management, reducing delays, and securing court records in an organised way,” said Tawanda Chigavazira, a prosecutor who also confirmed that eight cases were registered online today at the Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court.
Forbes Muchiwande Sithole, a lawyer from Samp Mlaudzi Attorneys, praised the development.
“This is a milestone toward international standards. Courts must move with the times. We thank the JSC Secretary, Mr. Chikwanha, for carrying out President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 with excellence,” he said. “The Beitbridge court has already been renovated, furnished, and a new courtroom is under construction.”
The Law Society of Zimbabwe will now monitor all legal practitioner registrations to prevent fake lawyers from operating, while key stakeholders including the NPAZ, ZRP, ZACC, ZPCS, and the Ministry of Justice are backing the new system.
The move is expected to end problems like missing files, court recording, long queues, and court delays, and bring Zimbabwe’s justice system closer to global standards.