Zimbabwe to set up commercial court

Zimbabwe is in the process of setting up a standalone specialized court to deal exclusively with commercial disputes as the country moves to improve the ease of doing business, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku has said.

Commercial courts are considered a competitive advantage for emerging markets competing for foreign direct investment as they facilitate a faster resolution of commercial disputes.

Regional peers Zambia, Lesotho, South Africa and Mozambique have in recent years established commercial courts giving them an edge over Zimbabwe.

Speaking the opening of the 2016 judicial year, Justice Chidyausiku said the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) was working on the modalities of setting up the court.

“We believe that the setting up of this court, with judges dedicated to commercial law court matters will not only ease the doing of business in Zimbabwe but will mark the beginning of specialisation in our High Court as a means of improving on overall efficiency. We urge all stakeholders to assist us in realising this vision for our country in the not too distant future,” said Chidyausiku.

Harare lawyer specializing in commercial law, Gavin Gomwe said that the move would be in line with international best practice.

“The establishment of a commercial court ideally makes commercial litigation much more expeditious and accessible to the business and general public compared to the current norm of relying on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms like arbitration to resolve potentially complex commercial disputes,” he said.-The Source
 

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