Zim Courts enter new era

Brian Rungano Temba

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has commissioned the first Virtual Court System in Zimbabwe, at Harare Magistrate Court.

The Zimbabwe Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) is the network that allows the existence of a paperless virtual court system.

The development is expected to make court business easier, as legal documentation will be easier and accessed in one same database.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi today commissioned the virtual court system.

Minister Ziyambi said the plan to ensure there is easy access to justice remains a priority.

He urged the JSC to open satellite courts, which allow people to access justice without travelling long distances.

Chief Justice Luke Malaba promised that the system will be rolled out in courts across the whole country.

The automation of the judicial system is a product of collaboration between the Ministry of ICT Postal and Courier Services who trained all judges and JSC staff.

Zimbabwe is working to be among the first SADC countries to fully digitize its legal processes and there have been efforts to learn from those who have walked the path.

A delegation from JSC and National Prosecuting Authority and recently went on a benchmarking exercise in Rwanda in preparation for the IECMS launch that took place today.

“In Rwanda the IECMS is seamless. The JSC, National Prison and Correctional Services Commission and National Prosecuting Authority are drawing insights from Judiciary of Rwanda,” read a tweet on the JSC official Twitter Account.

The High Court of Rwanda is fully automated, and during their visit to Rwanda, Judge Augustin Nkusi from the Judiciary of Rwanda demonstrated how he can access all cases he is assigned to, review them for hearing and write judgements online through IECMS.

“The Judicial Service Commission of Zimbabwe is committed to making justice accessible to all regardless of race, color and creed. We are on the brink of a new era! The automation of the Justice System in Zimbabwe!

The IECMS encompasses virtual courts, e-filing, tracking of cases online payments and so much more,” the JSC said in another tweet.

The initial phase of the virtual court system links Harare Magistrates’ Court with the Harare Remand Prison and Harare High Court with Chikurubi Maximum Prison.

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