Judicial Officers Strike and Human Rights Implications

Prosecutors and magistrates Zimbabwe have entered the third week with the collective job action. They have petitioned the responsible authorities so that their grievances can be addressed. However the parent ministry, ie, the justice and legal ministry seems complacent of the plight of these officers' right to a just and fair remuneration, as outlined in Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Zimbabwe, with an inflationary figure hovering around 8000% has drastically failed to come up with vibrant, economically sound policies to address the fundamental problems that are facing the entire population.

These judicial officers are earning less than a dollar a month yet they are expected to discharge their work efficiently and judiciously. The government has sought to ignore and indeed rubbish the legitimate concerns that are being raised by these officers. This has instigated the fury of the officers due to government insensitivity to their legitimate expectations to be awarded just and fair remuneration. In the process a whole lot of human rights violations are taking place. Prisoners are not being afforded a chance to have their cases completed as magistrates nd prosecutors are continuosly remanding cases. Arrested persons are not being afforded the opportunity to be broughts forward to the courts to have their cases heard. This is a serious burden to the prison service which is already grappling with overpopulation in relation to its capacity. Zimbabwean prisons do have prisoners capacity of around 16 000 yet presently it is reported that they carry around 23 ooo prisoners. This is a serious problem as this brings an array of problems with regards the criminal justice delivery system in Zimbabwe.

Another challenge that faces the prison system is the outbreak of diseases due to overpopulation and lack of medicines and medical personnel to attent to the prisoners. Shortages of foodstuffs that have taken centre stage have also not spared the prisons notwithstanding that they also benefited from the so called land reform programe. From a human rights perspective it is unassailable that Zimbabwe really faces a crisis due to the nationwide strikes which have resultantly brought down the wheels of justice.

Officials from the government have responded by saying that the officers who are not happy with the moneys that they are getting should resign. This is a serious insensitivity that characterises and reinforces that the powers that be are not even concerned with the plight of the workers but are only interested in their wellbeing. They are ignorant or to say the least lack foresight as regards the implications of the ripple effects the strike has not only to the justice system but also to a range of issues including inverstor confidence in the government's policies and willingnessto enter into business ventures and also corruption implications.

It remains to be seen how the government will react in view of the fact that the judicial officers have vowed not to return to work if their concerns are not addressed.