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<\/p>\nGovernment has approved the establishment of municipal courts and the appointment of municipal magistrates, and has also granted arresting powers to the municipalities.
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This comes after the consideration and approval of the Municipal Police and Courts Bill 2026 by Cabinet.<\/p>\n
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This is in line with the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15] and the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13], Local Authorities are empowered to formulate and enforce regulations of matters falling within their jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
Addressing journalists during Tuesday\u2019s post-cabinet media briefing, Information Minister Dr Zhemu Soda said the move targets promotion of good governance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to promote efficient service delivery and access to justice, local authorities require coordinated structures and strengthened municipal enforcement of by-laws to address issues of non-compliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese include apprehension of offenders of by-laws, investigation and prosecution of such offenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bill strengthens the legal framework for municipalities to establish and maintain dedicated and professional police services focused on community safety, by-law enforcement, traffic management, and local crime prevention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dr Zhemu further said the bill provides for the creation of courts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, the Bill provides for the creation of municipal courts; definition of the courts\u2019 jurisdiction; including over municipal by-laws, minor offenses, and traffic violations; and the appointment of municipal magistrates, among other matters prescribed by the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccordingly, local governance structures will be enhanced in line with the constitutional Devolution principles and improved public safety and environmental management outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Government has approved the establishment of municipal courts and the appointment of municipal magistrates, and has also granted arresting powers to the municipalities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[692,802],"class_list":["post-6124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news-zimbabwe","tag-city-of-harare","tag-dr-zhemu-soda"],"yoast_head":"\n