By Rex Mphisa
THE new courtroom at the Beitbridge Provincial Magistrates Court is now operational, and was opened for business a fortnight back, Ziyah News Network can reveal.
The new feature increases to three the number of courtrooms at the provincial magistrates courts and has reduced the courtroom shortage in the busy Beitbridge Border Post Courts.
The new court houses the resident magistrate.
A court official speaking on condition anonymity said the opening of the new courtroom had brought relief to both the officials and the public.
“There was a lot of “hot-sitting” at the courts because of courtroom space shortages. Now at least three courts can sit simultenously. Justice can be dispensed expeditiously without having to wait for another court to finish before using the courtroom,” said the official.
“It also reduces the time people wait at the courts and it is important that people are served timeously,” the official said.
Zimbabwe faces an acute judicial capacity crisis, driven by a shortage of physical courtrooms, a massive brain drain of experienced legal staff, and a nationwide bench limited to roughly 80 judges and 250 magistrates serving a growing population of over 16 million people.
According to one judicial officer their limited number subjects them to unsustainable workloads.
The civil division of the magistrates’ courts, in particular, has seen significant spikes in unresolved cases, frequently driven by summons from local authorities and delayed dispute resolutions and many broken marriage unions.