THE Cowdray Park courthouse in Bulawayo is set to be commissioned in the last quarter of the year, despite delays due to rocky terrain and water issues, the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) has said.
Bulawayo City Council is constructing the courthouse and it will have three courtrooms, with three magistrates, a Victim Friendly Court, and a victim-friendly room for vulnerable children and witnesses, as well as offices for the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, National Prosecuting Authority and community services.
Council availed land to the JSC for the construction of two courthouses in residential areas, with the other one being in Emganwini suburb.
The purchase price for the two properties was determined by the 10 percent commonage, where the Government is discounted for public service amenities.
In an interview, JSC secretary, Mr Walter Chikwana, who visited the Cowdray Park construction site on Monday, said work was not progressing at the speed that was expected when the project kicked off.
"The contractor seems to be having challenges due to the place being rocky, which is taking considerable time as they have to resort to blasting," said Mr Chikwana.
He said the JSC was, however, confident that the court would open its doors in the last quarter of the year despite the challenges.
"We have engaged the contractor, who assured us that despite being a month behind schedule, they will meet the target as they will now be having night shifts," said Mr Chikwana, who is also doing monitoring and evaluation visits of magistrate courts, the High Court and sheriff offices in the region.
Mr Chikwana said they had resolved to drill a second borehole after the initial one ran dry and no longer pumped water, forcing the contractor to resort to buying water, a cost which could have been avoided.
Our Bulawayo Bureau visited the construction site yesterday and found 17 workers busy on steel fixing after encountering a hard rock surface on load-bearing holes.
Steel fixing is shaping and fitting the steel bars, or mesh structures, in construction projects and is meant to strengthen buildings and other large structures by using steel bars and mesh in reinforced concrete. Mr Chikwana commended Tsholotsho and Inyathi Magistrates' Courts in Matabeleland North province for their quick case disposal ratio. He revealed that Tsholotsho only has two outstanding cases.
"I was not impressed with the slow disposal of cases at Western Commonage. We have to interrogate this and come up with solutions to whatever challenges they may be facing. Our people must not be inconvenienced upon seeking justice," said Mr Chikwana.
He said in Tsholotsho, the station faces serious power challenges that affect service delivery, especially after the introduction of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS).
JCS introduced IECMS in February 2022 as an online platform designed to digitalise the litigation process and is aimed at improving efficiency in justice delivery in the country. It is part of efforts to digitise the courts in line with global modern trends.
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"I immediately took corrective measures in that regard by making sure a working generator will always be on standby. The other challenge is the state of the magistrate's house there, it needs renovations and the Public Works Department has since been informed to attend to that as a matter of urgency," said Mr Chikwana.
At Western Commonage, the JSC secretary said public ablution facilities were in a bad state while the station was also in need of another borehole for easy access to water by magistrates and other staff members as well as members of the public.
In Inyathi, Mr Chikwana said two magistrates were sharing an office, but remedial action had since been taken.
