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Zimbabwe

Courts run out of stationery in Zimbabwe

HARARE - Zimbabwe's courts have for the past six months failed to print court records and judgments because the government does not have the cash to buy printer cartridges in yet another example of how things have collapsed in the country.

Sources with the judiciary told ZimOnline yesterday that the National Transcription Records (NTR) which is responsible for transcribing and printing of court records has had no printer cartridges since the beginning of the year because the government is broke.

Lawyers who spoke to ZimOnline yesterday said the failure to print court judgments had affected the discharge of justice as they could not make appeals to the High Court or Supreme Court without the records and judgments.

Harare lawyer and an opposition activist Jessie Majome said she has been waiting since April this year for copies of court records and judgment in a case her client wants to appeal.

"We are in limbo. My client was not happy with the judgment and wanted an appeal. Despite being an urgent matter, I could and can still not file an appeal to the High Court because there are no court records," she said.

Majome added: "I have been told the equipment to print the records has been malfunctioning for a very long time.

"As of now, my client is being denied justice because the government cannot buy simple cartridges. I am sure this can only happen in Zimbabwe," she said.

A source with the judiciary said there were piles of handwritten court records and tapes waiting to be transcribed. But the process cannot be carried out as there is no cash to buy the cartridges.

"I am not even sure when we will get to print these records. There is no sign that the government will heed our request to be furnished with enough equipment," he said.

Zimbabwe Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said he was not aware of the situation.

"I will find out what is happening. I am in the dark at the moment," he said.

The Zimbabwe Law Society could not be reached for comment on the matter yesterday.

A human rights lawyer Archibald Gijima said it was strange for "justice not be done because of a malfunctioning computer.

"It shows how the justice delivery system has been compromised by a government that can't locate its priorities," he said.

Zimbabwe is grappling its worst ever economic crisis that has also seen crippling shortages of fuel, electricity, essential medical drugs and almost every basic survival commodity because there is no cash to pay foreign suppliers.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change party accuses Mugabe of ruining the country's economy which was one of the strongest in sub-Saharan Africa at independence from Britain 26 years ago.

Mugabe denies the charge, blaming the crisis on sabotage by Britain for carrying out his land reforms.