‘Training improves justice delivery system’

THE Judicial Services Commission (JSC) held many training and staff development courses last year that resulted in improvements in the justice delivery system and will maintain a similar thrust this year, Chief Justice Luke Malaba said during the official opening of the 2024 Legal Year on Monday.

“The theme adopted for the 2023 legal year emphasised competency of judicial officers and support staff for the attainment of quality justice. The observation made at the 2023 legal year opening ceremony was that the judiciary would deliver quality justice when proper training and professional development for judicial officers and other members of staff was addressed as a matter of priority.

“Inevitably training became one of the major strategic focus areas during the year under review. The JSC, through the Judicial Training Institute of Zimbabwe facilitated training programmes aimed at developing the competence of all judicial officers and support staff to improve the quality of service delivery by the JSC,” he said.

The training activities carried out during the year include the Magistrates’ National Conference and another one on the implementation of the newly promulgated sentencing guidelines.

“The objective of the training was to provide magistrates with the necessary knowledge on the changes brought about by the Criminal Procedure (Sentencing Guidelines) Regulations, Statutory Instrument 146 of 2023. The aim was to equip the magistrates with the skills to enable them to apply the novel concept of presumptive penalties and to acquaint them with the specific instances in which they could depart from such penalties,” he said.

The JSC also facilitated the station administration workshop, at which all JSC heads of department, registrars, deputy registrars of the superior courts, regional magistrates, provincial heads, resident magistrates, officers from the Sheriff ’s Department, accountants, and key administrators congregated for capacitation with the requisite skills in station administration and management.

Chief Justice Malaba said the aim was to improve the officers’ competence and the quality of service in terms of attending to members of the public who visit the courts, stations and offices.

Other training workshops and staff development programmes held last year include the inaugural Registrars and Sheriffs’ Conference to promote effective client care management and fulfilment of the JSC’s Strategic Plan focus area of human capital development.

The traditional end-of-term Judges’ Symposia that brings together all judges in the country, where they take stock of their performance during the preceding term and engage in discussion on their chosen topics to further develop their skills on topical jurisprudential issues, were also held.

“The last major training of 2023 was the Leadership Conference, which coincidentally was the biggest gathering of members of the JSC for the purposes of training. It was attended by more than 200 members of the JSC, who included Judges and magistrates.

“The conference emphasised the development of a good, hardworking and able leader who understands and appreciates the focus of the JSC’s Strategic Plan,” Justice Malaba said.

“The skills development programme for the year under review was therefore a success. The same trajectory is intended to be followed in 2024.”