Ivan Zhakata — The Mozambican Government has approached Zimbabwe's Judicial Service Commission for insights on how the integrated electronic case management system (IECMS) operates as it prepares to adopt the same system.
A five-member delegation from Mozambique's judiciary led by Chief Justice Adelino Manuel Muchanga yesterday visited Chief Justice Luke Malaba to benchmark the system that has digitalised all the country's superior courts.
Speaking after the meeting, Justice Muchanga said Mozambique was implementing a strategic plan and one of the main pillars of that plan was to introduce electronic case management systems.
They looked around to see leading examples in the region and elsewhere and Zimbabwe was well ahead in terms of implementing the system successfully.
"We have heard not only from the Chief Justice, but from other sources. So since we have similar challenges, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, we also have difficult access in rural areas and we have difficulties in internet and difficulties in terms of funding these kind of initiatives," Justice Muchanga said.
"We came to see what happened in Zimbabwe when it came to implement successfully the system and I think the key to the success, among other reasons, is that this is a national programme.
"We are at the starting point and I think we will take this experience to Mozambique and see how we can involve the Government and other stakeholders so that we implement the system for many advantages that the systems can bring to the efficiency of the judicial system in Mozambique."
"We hope that from this visit, one day we can say that the visit to Zimbabwe was useful to Mozambique."
Justice Malaba said the delegation from Mozambique was in the country to benchmark on the digitisation programme that Zimbabwe had undertaken.
"They have felt that Zimbabwe has taken very important strides in adopting technology particularly information communication technology which we have adapted as one of the measures of ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in the judiciary system for the specific purpose of delivering justice to the people expeditiously," he said.
"In Zimbabwe, we adopted this system of technology in about 2018, having realised that the world was turning digital in all aspects of life. We realised also that the Government itself had adopted a a national policy called the National Development Strategy 1, which included the justice sector in ensuring that there is access to justice to the people."
He said the relationship between the judicial systems of Zimbabwe and Mozambique was brotherly.
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"We relate as Chief Justices, and when he (Justice Muchanga) comes heading a delegation, we take it very seriously in Zimbabwe because not only is that a confirmation, an affirmation of the long standing cordial relationship between the two judiciaries, but an extension of a sign of confidence in what is happening here.
"We in Zimbabwe are looking forward to learning from Mozambique. The mere presence of other delegations from the region in SADC coming to benchmark Zimbabwe means that we in Zimbabwe learn about our own system, about what other people's ideas are in terms of improving the system," Justice Malaba said.
