Neville Mutsvangwa bail hearing sabotaged by internet systems

Neville Mutsvangwa’s lawyers could not access data located in the Intergrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) during proceedings and only managed to check later.

The new e-system has been criticised of being ineffective.

Mabel Tarugarira, representing Mutsvangwa explained that their client was let down by the internet system.

Missing record of proceedings was later located in the IECMS but bail ruling had already been postponed.

The introduction of the IECMS for the Judiciary of Zimbabwe has been a transformational journey.

The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) faced immediate challenges in the design and development phase, as interaction with the developers had to be done entirely remotely due to the pandemic.

However, the introduction of the system and early launch of online hearings was well received by both the Judiciary and the Law Society.

The change management process to promote system adoption was driven by a concerted effort to apply lessons learned from similar projects, specifically in Rwanda.

As a result, the IECMS has improved access to justice by allowing judicial proceedings to continue when they would have otherwise been interrupted.

The Judiciary is now more accessible, efficient, and resilient against future shocks, and is eager to contribute to the growing international body of knowledge on justice sector change management and court automation.