SEVERAL Bulawayo laws firms have shut down their offices
while the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has also streamlined operations at
the courts as part of measures taken to mitigate against the spread of
Covid-19.
The closure of law firms is part of measures adopted by the
Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) in fighting the spread of the deadly global
pandemic.
Notable city law firms that closed their doors for business
include Mutatu, Masamvu, Da Silva-Gustavo Law Chambers, R Ndlovu and Company,
James, Moyo-Majwabu and Nyoni Legal Practitioners, Zimbabwe Women Lawyers
Association, Moyo and Nyoni Legal Practitioners and Abigail Masawi Law
Chambers.
The law firms have since put notices of temporary closure
on their office entrances and sent correspondences to the Registrar of the High
Court and Clerk of Court to that effect.
“To our valued customers and all stakeholders, please be
advised that due to Covid-19 pandemic also known as coronavirus, we will be
closing our offices from Wednesday, 25 March 2020 until further notice. The
closure has been necessitated by the need to play our part in helping in terms
of containment and delay of the spread of the pandemic while also safeguarding
the health of our employees, clients and all other stakeholders,” read one
notice. One of the city lawyers,
Mr Bruce Masamvu said they will be working from their homes
and only attending urgent matters.
In a statement, LSZ executive secretary Mr Edward Mapara
said in the wake of Covid-19, they decided to adopt practical measures to
reduce the spread of the deadly virus through the suspension of non-essential
services.
“In consultation with other stakeholders and also checking
with colleagues in the Sadc region, it is necessary to immediately adopt
measures which include the suspension of non-essential services, allow
non-essential service employees to work from home and the suspension of all
physical meetings of council and committees and trainings,” said Mr Mapara.
“We profoundly encourage members to work from home and only
go to offices and the courts when it is absolutely necessary and in which case
you ought to take precautionary measures.”
The JSC has also considerably reduced activities at the
courts.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba on Monday directed the country’s
civil courts to cancel all pre-booked weddings and ordered the postponement of
trials and non-urgent hearings by two months, with court hearings now strictly
confined to parties involved and their lawyers.
As part of a raft of measures to combat the spread of
Covi-19, CJ Malaba said the bulk of JSC staff using public transport will be
working from home with the courts being manned by skeletal staff only.
“I want to urge all JSC members to take advantage of the
scaling down of operations in our offices and courts by self-quarantining
ourselves and not only spending time with our families, but also reflecting on
our work and profession,” said CJ Malaba.
He also urged judges and magistrates to capitalise on the
period of self-isolation by attending to reserved judgments and outstanding
reviews. Chronicle
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