BULAWAYO – Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza says Zimbabwe’s transition to a digital justice system is irreversible, with the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) set to expand to magistrates’ courts in the Midlands and Mashonaland West provinces.

Addressing the Magistrates National Conference in Bulawayo on Friday, Gwaunza said the move to electronic courts was no longer an ambition but the future of the judiciary.

“The move towards e-justice is no longer a future aspiration. It is the direction in which our Judiciary is moving, and it is a journey which we must all embrace and undertake together,” she said.

Gwaunza said Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces successfully launched the IECMS on June 1, joining a growing number of courts conducting judicial business electronically.

She said preparations were now underway for Phase 4.4 of the rollout targeting the Midlands and Mashonaland West provinces, with Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Secretary Dr Walter Chikwana and his team already conducting stakeholder engagements across the Midlands.

“Magistrates from Kwekwe to Mvuma have… had the opportunity to interact directly with the Secretariat on what the transition to the IECMS will require of their stations,” she said.

Gwaunza urged magistrates whose courts have already migrated to the electronic platform to assist colleagues preparing for the transition.

“Such practical exchanges build confidence, promote consistency and make implementation considerably smoother,” she said.

She said the JSC would continue providing training, guidance, and institutional support to ensure a successful migration.

The Chief Justice also linked the digital transformation to the judiciary’s Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) framework, under which judicial officers are assessed against measurable performance targets.

“Through performance contracts, every judicial officer can clearly appreciate how individual performance contributes to the broader objectives of the Commission,” she said.

She added that accountability and judicial independence were complementary, saying judicial performance would now be measured by “demonstrable results” rather than commitment alone.

The IECMS was first introduced in Zimbabwe’s superior courts before being progressively rolled out to magistrates’ courts as part of the Judicial Service Commission’s drive to modernise court administration.

The system allows litigants and legal practitioners to file court documents electronically, enables judicial officers to manage cases digitally, and improves the tracking of cases from filing to finalisation. The judiciary says the system is designed to reduce delays, minimise the loss of court records, improve transparency, and increase public access to justice through faster case processing.

The nationwide rollout forms part of the judiciary’s broader strategy to create a paperless, technology-driven court system.