The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MOST of the country’s courts will become digital starting next month as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is planning to roll out virtual courts to all the country’s rural provinces.
Speaking to journalists on Friday at the Hwange Magistrates’ Courts during an open day to mark 12 years of JSC existence, the commission’s deputy secretary Mr Sithembinkosi Msipha said virtual courts were already in place in Bulawayo and Harare Metropolitan provinces while high-end equipment had been installed in the other eight rural provinces waiting for launch mid next month.
A virtual court system is whereby court processes will be done through video and teleconferencing with accused persons and witnesses able to attend court away from the courtroom following proceedings on big screens.
Most courtrooms and prisons have been equipped with cameras and television screens for the virtual courts.
Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS)
Roll-out of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) where court processes will be done online is now 99 percent, according to Mr Msipha.
He said the pilot virtual court and IECMS system had been a success so far.
“Virtual court were launched in Harare and Bulawayo and we are going to be launching in the remaining eight provinces on the 15th of July.
Virtual court
We have installed equipment including software and hardware in all province, all that is left is launch,” said Mr Msipha.
One needs to have gadgets like a phone or computer and reliable internet connectivity to be able to access the court proceedings and JSC has installed high speed internet, solar power and help desks at most of the courthouses.
Mr Msipha said this will help speed up justice delivery, ease access to the courts, improve payment systems, speed up filing of documents, tracking of cases, receiving of judgements reduce backlog, improve time taken to complete cases and allow courts to sit even when there are fuel or vehicle challenges to carry accused persons and witnesses.
Children who are witnesses will also not miss school going to courts as they can testify from the nearest police station or court or any other designated information centre.
Mr Msipha said the transformative process will see physical filing of hard copy documents coming to an end as well as enhance justice.
“With this new system we are hoping to deal with a number of issues including reducing corruption.
We consider this transformative because it’s going to simplify access to justice.
We need to have a judiciary that is effective.”
Mr Msipha said the open day was an educational and awareness raising occasion for people to understand the transformation process and JSC has also created help desks and a call centre to help stakeholders.
Commercial Court
“We are on 99 percent now because the Commercial Court success rate of filing is very high as people are testifying virtually and judgements being released online, payments done, and the success rate is high and we are very happy with the way it is working.
Every 10th of June we go out to every province, we celebrate our existence which allows us to take stock of what we have done and come up with informed trajectory.
Once we roll out IECMS in Magistrates’ Courts, no more filing of hardcopy will be accepted, everything will be done online,” he said.
JSC’s transformation is in line with the country’s aspirations for an upper middle-income economy by 2030 where justice should be accessible to all citizens and is part of key result areas under the National Development Strategy 1.
Digitalising courts will also reduce costs for both the country and individuals seeking justice as there will be less travelling for witnesses.
Court rules will, however, not be affected by the digitisation process but confidence in the system will improve. —@ncubeleon
