Understaffing delays court rulings—Zomba magistrate

Zomba chief resident Magistrate Robert Makaika says understaffing is one of the factors delaying delivery of justice.

The magistrate made the observation on Wednesday at National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice)Trust office in Zomba during a court users committee meeting attended by officers from the judiciary, police, prison, education, labour and civil society organisations (CSOs) in the district.

The meeting was aimed at discussing how communities in the district can access court services with ease.

During the meeting, many CSOs, especially those that deal with child-related issues, complained that courts take long to conclude cases.

Makaika said the country has less than 1 000 magistrates, a development that affects justice delivery.

“But this should not stop people from accessing courts for justice when someone breaks the law because despite the delays, rulings are made,” he said.

Nice Zomba civic education officer Albertina Nsongolo called on CSOs to work with the court by sensitising communities to the significance of using courts.

“Encourage the communities to use contact and dialogue in resolving minor disagreements in their areas, but they should take high gravity cases such as rape, murder and armed robbery to court for action,” he said. n