(DAILY MAIL) Small claims court officers appointed

Small claims court officers appointed
By NANCY MWAPE

TWENTY commissioners appointed to deal with the small claims court targeted at small and medium-scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) will start operating at end of this year. The small claims court will have limited jurisdiction to determine civil matters and private sector disputes.

Registrar for the High Court, Mwamba Chanda, said this in Lusaka during the Private Sector Development Programme breakfast meeting focusing on small claims court. Ms Chanda said for a start, the court would be operational in Lusaka and Ndola, and later rolled out to cover all other parts of the country.

“Small claims court will be a people’s court. Individuals and SMEs can bring their matter to this court without engaging lawyers and it would have simplified procedures.

“Any claims within K20 million can be brought before this court. It will be a court for ordinary people,” she said.

She said the 20 commissioners who are lawyers by profession would be adjudicators and had undergone training to handle the courts.

She said eight clerks whose role would be to assist complaints by drawing up their claims have also been trained.

Ms Chanda said once the courts were operational, sittings would be done every day at the Chikwa Road court for Lusaka.

She said K500 million was allocated this year to help commence operations of the small claims courts and amendments made to the law.

“The court will not deal with customary law and our target is subordinate law. These are the most common cases that come before the magistrate court,” she said.

Ms Chanda said no appeals would be made once judgment was made but the aggrieved party could have their case re-heard by three separate commissioners.

She expressed confidence that the small claims court would be welcomed by a lot of SMEs as their cases would be handled quickly and allow them to continue with their businesses.