Courts expected to resume operations

Courts are expected to open on 11 May 2020. All courts in Zimbabwe including both lower courts and superior ones had scaled down operations due to the lockdown. In a practice direction delivered by the Chief justice, all trials and court cases had been put on hold except for urgent matters and bail hearings.

All court matters are expected to resume on Monday amid strict observation of screening and testing regulations. The interruption of court business had caused untold suffering and prejudice to most people who had hoped to finalize their matters timeously. The hardest hit were those places on remand pending commencement of their trials. Others had court orders that they could no longer execute due to the lockdown.

According to the high court calendar, it was supposed to open on 11 May for the second term. It remains to be seen whether the term will kickstart in full throttle or whether the backlog brought about by the lockdown will clog the court roll.

It must be noted that lawyers have been advised by the Law society of the development. It remains their mandate to ensure their staff is tested and has the necessary PPE to contain the spread of the virus