Story by Fungai Jachi
THE 2026 legal year will officially open on Monday at the Constitutional Court in Harare, with Chief Justice Luke Malaba presiding over the ceremony and launching the Judicial Service Commission’s (JSC) 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.
Held under the theme “Using performance management and technology to ensure quality, inclusive and sustainable judicial service,” the event signals the judiciary’s continued focus on improving efficiency, accountability and access to justice through institutional reform and digital innovation.
The opening of the legal year is an annual institutional event which sets the tone and marks the resumption of judicial business after the courts’ vacation and formally ushers in the judicial calendar for the Superior Courts and the broader justice delivery system.
The event will bring together judges, magistrates, legal practitioners, representatives of the Law Society of Zimbabwe, traditional leaders and other key stakeholders in the justice sector.
Similar ceremonies will take place at various High Court stations across the country, with Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza presiding over proceedings in Bulawayo.
Constitutional and Supreme Court judges, Justices Anne Mari Gowora, and Bharat Patel, will officiate at the Mutare and Chinhoyi High Courts, with Justice Paddington Garwe, who also sits on the Constitutional and Supreme Court, presiding over the ceremony at the Masvingo High Court.
