Free legal aid for Plumtree and Gweru residents
THE Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) held an open day for residents of Plumtree and Gweru where they provided free legal aid to members of the public.
LSZ Corporate Communications Manager Mr Richard Chidza told the Sunday News that the open day was an annual programme where they committed time to providing free legal aid to members of different communities in the country
“We hosted two programmes this year in Gweru and Plumtree as part of giving back to the community in our Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. We bring together various stakeholders in this justice sector such as the Judiciary Service Commission, Law Development Commission, and other Government departments to offer free legal aid for the communities,” he said.
Mr Chidza said the aim was to give those who cannot afford legal fees a window to be heard by lawyers and other supporting organisations and chart a way forward on the various issues they would have presented.
“We also brought in law firms that are based in Gweru and Plumtree where the open days were held so that they interact with the ordinary people who needed access to free legal services. We also bring in other civic society organisations like the Legal Resources Foundation and these were exhibiting at our events informing the public on what they offer,” he added.
Mr Chidza said the LSZ as a statutory body had an obligation to facilitate access to justice by members of the society.
“We are fully cognisant of the fees that are charged in order for people to have access to legal services. But we set aside different days in different locations where we see to it that there is a platform for the common man to get services for free. The lawyers then recommend different methods of solving the cases as presented to them by the public. They are also referred to the representatives of the legal aid directorate in the Government for more assistance,” he added.
He said LSZ and organisations represented also educated people about their rights during the open days as part of measure to ensure Zimbabweans have access to justice.
LSZ also offer the pro-deo project which has been running for some time with the LSZ paying disbursements for costs incurred by legal practitioners in undertaking pro-deo work. Pro deo is representation of a person where legal costs are paid by the State at the instruction of the courts. Under this programme they offer free representation to persons accused of murder. — @NyembeziMu