Maravi

Judiciary changes excite women

Judiciary changes excite women
By Joan Chirwa-Ngoma
Fri 15 June 2012, 13:25 CAT

THE appointment of female justices Lombe Chibesakunda and Florence Mumba as acting Chief Justice and acting Deputy Chief Justice respectively, will bring order in the Judiciary, says NGOCC chairperson Beatrice Grillo.

President Michael Sata yesterday appointed, with immediate effect, justices Chibesakunda and Mumba to the two most senior positions in the Judiciary with the hope of "achieving aspirations of the Zambian people for the Judiciary".

This is the first time in the country's history that a female has been appointed to head the Judiciary.

The two replace justices Ernest Sakala and Dennis Chirwa who have gone on leave awaiting the expiry of their contracts and retirement.

In a statement issued by his special assistant for press and public relations, George Chellah, President Sata wished justices Chibesakunda and Mumba success in their responsibilities, adding that he had no doubt the appointments would assist in achieving aspirations of the Zambian people for the Judiciary.

He thanked justices Sakala and Chirwa for their service to the nation and wished them well in their impending retirement.

President Sata further said he was hopeful that the appointment of justices Chibesakunda and Mumba would help boost Zambia's chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals on women in leadership positions.

Grillo, in welcoming the appointments, said the women movement was "very excited with the news" as it was coming at the time of judicial reforms.

"…We welcome the move, it is a very progressive move. These women will bring the order that is required in the judiciary. This is really affirmative action," she said, adding "We are looking forward to working with them and ensure there is justice in the country."

Grillo said justices Chibesakunda and Mumba were women of integrity that the NGOCC believed would perform to expected standards.

"These are challenging positions but they will do it. They are women of integrity and we have so much trust in them. They won't let us down. While the men are fighting in the judiciary, we need women to bring order in the Judiciary. We are hoping that they will bring that order in the Judiciary," said Grillo.

Judge Mumba served as Electoral Commission Zambia chairperson.

Judge Mumba was a member of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 2003.

She was elected Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on May 20, 1997.

Judge Mumba was the vice-president of the ICTY between November 1999 and November 2001.

Labels: JUDICIARY

posted by MrK @ 3:58 PM