Delay of justice delivery in the Northern Region due to shortage of judges is expected to be minimised with the appointment of Redson Kapindu as the new judge replacing Justice Lovemore Chikopa.
Chikopa was transferred from Mzuzu to High Court in Lilongwe in 2010. Since then the region depended on Justice Dingiswayo Madise as the only judge in delivery of justice, something Malawi Law Society (MLS) of the northern chapter said contributed to the delay of justice.
Speaking on Friday on the sidelines of the welcoming function of the new judge, a representative of the MLS northern chapter George Kadzipatike said the appointment of the new judge is a step forward in speeding up cases in the region.
“A lot of people were looking for justice in the region and Justice Madise could be overwhelmed by work sometimes although he is hard-working. This resulted in delay of cases.
“Even though, we have one more judge, we still need at least four of them because two are not enough. The Judicial Service Commission should consider us with more judges,” said Kadzipatike.
Madise said in the absence of Chikopa, it was not easy for him to work alone. He said with the cooperation from other staff members, he moved on although there were a lot of cases to handle.
Kapindu said his coming will help improve the situation, but agreed with Kadzipatike that there is need for more judges if cases are to be completed with the expected speed.
Kapindu was appointed and sworn in as a judge in June and July 2013 respectively. He started reporting for duties at the High Court in Mzuzu last month.
Before his appointment, Kapindu was a lecturer of law at the University of Johannesburg. He was also pursuing a doctorial degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
