Chief Justice Luke Malaba has bemoaned the lack of funding in the Judiciary Services Commission (JSC) by the Treasury saying this exposed it to judiciary capture.
Malaba added that due to poor funding, the JSC is losing experienced employees who are unhappy over poor remuneration.
He made the remarks during the State of the Judiciary Address (SOJA) in Harare Monday.
The chief justice begged the government to ensure that judicial officers were well paid to avoid corruption. He said:
It is, therefore, important that the government should constantly review the salaries of the workers so that they remain relevant to the prevailing economic situation. The JSC witnessed a high staff turnover in the year under review because of low salaries.
Malaba said the JSC lost a total of 88 members of staff in 2021 through resignations and at least 18 of them were magistrates.
The Chief Justice said human capital is the most important resource in the success of any organisation as such must be prioritised.
Malaba said the judiciary in terms of the Constitution must retain its independence from the other organs as it was unhealthy to seek funding from outsiders because of Treasury’s failure to disburse enough funding.
He speaks amid allegations from the opposition and some analysts who say the executive, mainly the ruling ZANU PF, had captured the judiciary which is now being used as a tool to punish the opposition and critics.
More: NewZimbabwe.com