Luwingu petitioner urges Govt to improve enrolment of law students at ZIALE

A Luwingu resident has submitted to the Legal and Justice Sector Reforms Commission that government should find ways of expanding the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) to improve the enrolment of law students.

Evaristo Kabuswe, a teacher by profession, also submitted that the Office of the Investigator General should be decentralized to provincial centers and districts to enable easy access to justice by aggrieved government workers.

Mr Kabuswe told the Commission chaired by Justice Frederick Chomba during a public sitting held at the Luwingu District Council Chamber today that the failure rate at ZIALE was too high and that something needs to be done to improve the enrolment of students so that the current shortage of practicing lawyers is addressed.

Mr Kabuswe further submitted that government should also consider establishing another institution where law students could access advanced legal education to increase the numbers of practicing lawyers so that Zambians can have improved access to justice.

And Mr Kabuswe said the absence of the Office of the Investigator General in provinces and districts denies aggrieved government workers free and fair access to justice as they have to travel long distances to Lusaka to submit their complaints.

Another petitioner, 51-year-old Vincent Mwape submitted that government should bring access to justice closer to the people in remote areas by establishing Supreme and High Courts at provincial and District level.

Mr Mwape said the current location of the higher courts of appeal in selected provinces only denies people in rural areas legal redress when they come into conflict with the law because it was costly to travel long distances to seek further court action.

Meanwhile, the Commission also received submissions on unfair judgments relating to divorce cases involving three different women who complained that they felt they had not received fair access to justice.

One of the petitioners, 30-year-old Clara Mumba of Chikoyi Village in Luwingu District complained that she was married in 2002 and that she divorced her husband in court where judgment was passed in which their two matrimonial houses were forfeited and that she had not received any assistance in the local court despite appealing the outcome.

Three other women petitioned the Commission to help address the indiscriminate grabbing of land by the District Council which they felt was denying them access equitable distribution of land in the area.

Astridah Chisulo, 36, of Nachaiteka village submitted on behalf of the Salesian Sisters Women Association complained that the Council had demarcated a piece of land allocated to the group for development by the Chief after paying K8,400.00 for a special user plot.

Ms Chisulo submitted that the Council demarcated the plot to another developer who is now constructing a filing station at the expense of the women group who were legally given the land by the local Chief.

But Luwingu District Council Planner Mwila Chansa who was summoned by the Commission to explain the wrangle surrounding the land in question, said the land had 16 plots whose plans were approved by the provincial planning office and that the local authority was willing to discuss the matter with a view to settling the problem.

The Commission will tomorrow hold its final public sittings in the Northern province in Mungwi district before proceeding to Muchinga for similar meetings starting on Monday July 20 to Friday July 24 in Chinsali, Isoka, Nakonde and Mpika.