Harare, (New Ziana) – Chief Justice Luke Malaba on Monday opened the 2026 Legal Year, and outlined the vision of the judiciary.
He said the judiciary will be mainly guided this year by the tenets of its theme: “Using Performance Management and Technology to Ensure Quality, Inclusive, and Sustainable Judicial Service.”
Chief Justice Malaba said the Legal Year theme for 2026 placed performance management and technology at the centre of court operations, and is a declaration of the Judicial Service Commission’s commitment to adopt performance management and technology as strategic tools for the achievement of a truly principled judicial system.
“The theme emphasizes the principle that judicial trust must be translated into demonstrable performance and that modern tools must be harnessed lawfully and ethically to achieve that aim. It also speaks to the strategic and operational refinement of the Commission’s long articulated vision of a Zimbabwe in which world-class justice prevails, driven by both judicial and administrative excellence. The aspiration towards world-class standards is not an exercise in institutional self-interest but is fundamentally service-oriented.
“This is because the judicial authority is a component of State power created by the sovereign people for their benefit. As such, the Judiciary’s vision is fundamentally broad and transformative to ensure that every adopted strategic priority vindicates the public trust endowed by the people,” he said.
Chief Justice Malaba said that last year, the country’s Judiciary witnessed important transformative developments in the justice delivery system, including the continued decentralisation of courts, the expanded implementation of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), investment in staff welfare and training, and the strengthening of key institutional frameworks that support the work of the courts.
“The year 2025 also marked the final year of implementation of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s Strategic Plan 2021 to 2025. Under that roadmap, several initiatives were planned, including the decentralization of the courts and the digitization of court processes through the deployment of IECMS and associated reforms. Those aspirations were, in large measure, achieved. The achievements realised under that Strategic Plan can only lay a firm foundation for the new strategic planning cycle.
“From the onset, it must be stated that the successes would not have been possible without the cooperation and input of the Commission’s stakeholders. The Judiciary expresses its profound appreciation for the support rendered by its many stakeholders throughout the implementation of the 2021 to 2025 Strategic Plan. The accomplishments outlined and the present transformative state of the Judiciary as at the end of 2025 are the product of the collective effort of justice sector institutions, development partners, and the public that we all serve,” Chief Justice Malaba said.
Commenting on the requirement of competence and integrity as a measure of quality in the Judiciary, Chief Justice Malaba highlighted that Section 165(2) of the Constitution stipulates that members of the Judiciary, individually and collectively, must respect and honour their judicial office as a public trust and must strive to enhance their independence to maintain public confidence in the judicial system.
“In addition, inclusivity, through access to justice, involves extending the reach of judicial service to the general populace by removing all barriers to its use. A judicial system that is inaccessible, unaffordable, slow, or whose procedures are incomprehensible to the people who are expected to benefit from them, effectively denies those people access to justice.
“The concept demands that there be no physical, financial, linguistic or technical barriers that frustrate litigants. This involves recognising and specifically addressing the needs of those who have historically faced systemic disadvantage. Processes must be sensitive to, and accommodating of, the unique needs of vulnerable populations, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. A truly inclusive system adapts to the user, not vice versa,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza presided over 2026 Legal Year proceedings in Bulawayo while Justice Bharat Patel officiated in Chinhoyi. At the same time, Justice Paddington Garwe led similar proceedings in Masvingo.
New Ziana
