COURT WATCH 4/2021

[4th February 2021]

Practice Direction 3 of 2021: Court Proceedings
During Extended COVID-19 Level IV Lockdown

On Tuesday 2nd February 2021 Chief Justice Luke Malaba issued Practice Direction 3 of 2021 [link] regulating the operations of courts during the extension of the Level IV National Lockdown introduced by SI 37/2021, announced over last weekend.   The Practice Direction is set out below.  [Please note that Practice Direction 1 of 2021 – which is amended by Practice Direction 3 – is available on the Veritas website [link]]:

PRACTICE DIRECTION 3 OF 2021

OPERATIONAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE COURTS DURING THE

EXTENDED COVID-19 LEVEL IV NATIONAL LOCKDOWN

Amendment of Practice Direction 1 of 2021

1)   Practice Direction 1 of 2021 [link] is amended in paragraph 6, 21,22 and 24 by the deletion of those paragraphs and substitution with the following:-

“Court Operations

6)   With effect from 5 January 2021, the filing of new cases, process, documents, pleadings and papers shall be suspended for the period up to 15 February 2021.”

“Criminal matters

20) .....

21) All pending criminal cases originally remanded to the dates shown in Column ‘A’ are rolled over to the dates indicated in column ‘B’:-

22) All summonses, subpoenas and warnings in court issued directing accused persons and or witnesses to appear in court between 5 January 2021 and 15 February 2021 are cancelled and shall be reissued after the expiry of the lockdown period.

23) …

Effective date

24) ln light of the extension of the national lockdown period, this Practice Direction shall accordingly remain in effect until the expiry of the extended lockdown period.”

Hon. Mr Justice L Malaba

Chief Justice of Zimbabwe

HARARE

2 February 2021