JSC leadership indaba sets new standards

**Chief Justice MAlaba delivers a speech at the JSC Leadership Indaba in Victoria Falls**

Audrey Galawu

The Judicial Service Commission today launched the Leadership Indaba for leaders in the Judicial service in Victoria Falls.

The Indaba comes as the country is preparing to host the 7th Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa next year which is being led by Chief Justice Luke Malaba.

The Leadership Conference is running under the theme “Enhancing the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Leadership in the Judicial Service through the Implementation of the Strategic Plan”.

Speaking during the occasion, Chief Justice Malaba said the Conference is aimed at exposing the participants who are leaders at different levels of governance in the Judicial Service, to the standards of leadership expected of them.

Justice Malaba said there must be an understanding of what leadership is and why persons occupy positions of leadership.

“From the start, it must be understood that the theme focuses on leadership in the Judicial Service and not in the Judiciary only. It is for that reason that the Leadership Conference has brought together judicial officers from all the courts and persons at different levels of leadership within the various departments of the Judicial Service Commission.

“The Conference anticipates that the Judiciary and all leaders within the JSC will emerge from the Conference with oneness of vision, strategy and will. The participants must be able to interrogate how leadership in Zimbabwe and in the Judicial Service is understood.

“For the reasons given, the keynote address focuses on the standards and attributes of leadership expected of the Judicial Service.

“Leader in the Judicial Service must be conscious of the cooperation expected of them with stakeholders so as to ensure that there is fair play in justice delivery. The Judiciary and the JSC are equally alive to the commonality expected of them and their stakeholders in the administration of justice,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, the Judicial Service Commission Secretary Walter Chikwana reiterated that the Leadership Indaba is significant and different as it goes beyond leadership training and development.

He emphasised that the indaba gives an opportunity to leaders in the JSC, in their different capacities and departments, to reflect on how they have fared in achieving organisational goals in terms of the Strategic plan.

“As the theme suggests, we have combined the Leadership Indaba as most of us know it with the mid-term review of the Judicial Service Commission Strategic Plan 202-2025.

**Delegates to the JSC leadership Indaba follow proceedings**

“This we are going to do through the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan Mid-term Review validation process which is going to be led by our consultant, Head Hunters International. The review will enable us to see what has worked for us so that we retain it and forge new paths to address the challenges and strategic inflection points, which we have encountered along the way.

“We will be able to plan for how we are going to lead the organisation and our different departments for the last two years of this Strategy Cycle better informed by the proceedings of this indaba. The ultimate goal is that come 2025, we would have achieved all our goals in terms of our current Strategic Plan and be on our way to plan for the next cycle, that is 2026-2030 which will feed into the achievement of the national strategic goals under Vision 2030.

The importance of the Strategic Plan for the organisation cannot be overemphasised. We are all employed within the Judicial Service Commission to achieve specific strategic goals in the Strategic Plan. Hence even in our leadership, we do not lead on whim, chance or luck but we are guided by the Strategic Plan.

“This is why the amalgamation at the mid-term review and the Leadership Indaba is very powerful. It focuses on strategic leadership, which is aimed at achieving strategic goals in pursuit of a strategic plan.

“While the strategic plan is important, the people who drive it are equally important. Hence beyond this validation of the mid-term review report, we have roped in various thought leaders, including Chief Justice Luke Malaba, who are going to share their insights with us on visionary leadership, collaboration towards effective justice delivery and the development of ideal leaders,” Chikwana said.