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Chief Justice Luke Malaba has challenged members of the bench and other supporting departments to be exemplary and shun corruption.
Officiating at the ongoing annual Judicial Service Commission (JSC) conference that is being attended by officials from the Master of the High Court, the Sheriff, Superior Courts and Magistrates Courts as well as magistrates and judges, Chief Justice Malaba, said everything that JSC members do must be guided by the law.
The conference is aimed at enhancing efficiency and realign the JSC priorities as a public institution and service provider.
“It is with great pleasure that I stand before you to address you on this very conference on leadership and team building for members of the Judicial Service Commission. It is critical that we all appreciate the obligation imposed upon us by the law.
We are mandated by the constitution to administer justice without fear, favour or prejudice and with minimum delays. Your conduct and the way you apply yourselves during the course and scope of your duties defines what the judiciary is all about and destroys or helps to build the integrity of the judiciary. If you behave improperly and get involved in corruption you may end up destroying the very same justice sector and the integrity of the judiciary,” said CJ Malaba.
He implored JSC officials and their subordinates to fully understand and appreciate their functions especially in enhancing access to justice for all citizens.
CJ Malaba called for focus and passion while at work.
He said this requires full and undisturbed concentration on one’s work and placing the interests of the organisation ahead of personal interests.
CJ Malaba said JSC was alive to staff’s welfare concerns.
“As the judiciary administrators you have a responsibility if not an obligation to support the courts so that every Zimbabwean is able to enforce his or her fundamental rights in terms of our Constitution and to also access justice as close to their homes as possible. Each one of you holds a position of responsibility in which you are expected to take leadership firstly in ensuring that we provide quality service to our clients and secondly in carrying our supervisory roles of your subordinates. It is through your focused leadership that you are able to fight and defeat corruption, inefficiency, laziness and lack of cooperation,” he said.
CJ Malaba said a focused leader should lead from the front so that the subordinates are able to follow good deeds.
He urged staff to uphold standards and ethics as well as principles specified in the JSC Strategic Plan (2021-2025) which provides direction in which the organization is going.
He said members of JSC should not do private business during working hours but should instead ensure members of the public are provided the best services in the shortest possible time.
“I am making a clarion call to you today that when you are at work you must do the right thing as an officer of JSC,” said CJ Malaba.
The conference started on Friday and ends tomorrow. Chronicle
