THIS newspaper is in possession of a signed and dated letter from the Labour Court in Bulawayo in which officials are soliciting for donors ostensibly to bankroll a farewell party for Justice Sello Nare.
According to the letter to all law firms in the city, a record of who has contributed what would be kept at the Labour Court, effectively making the schedule of benefactors a public record which could be perused by court officials at their whims.
The letter which bears the Labour Court date stamp of October 29 reads: “Request for donations to host farewell party for Justice S Nare: Labour Court Bulawayo.
“The above subject matter refers. This office is kindly looking for donations to host a colourful farewell party for Justice Nare who will be retiring from service with effect from after duty on 27th November 2013. Donations to be forwarded to office 212 before or on the 25th November and entered in a donation register which is to be administered by Mrs C Gova.”
For the record, we hold Judge Nare in high esteem and believe he is above reproach. He deserves a lavish and big farewell befitting his contribution to the liberation of this country and the bench he has served so diligently until his retirement later this month.
But Gracious God, the letter from the Labour Court purporting to fund-raise for his imminent farewell is scandalous and puts private law firms in a tight spot. To all intents and purposes, it leaves the city law firms and the corporate world with very few options with some critics alleging it poses a threat to the delivery of justice.
Questions abound what happens in the event law firm A donates $20 000 and a lowly law firm B fails to chip in. Will the law firms be treated equally? This is a bad practice and a very wrong precedent.
It also raises issues of governance at the Labour Court in Bulawayo. Lawyers have already expressed fears that those that do not donate towards the bash could find themselves being victimised since a record would be kept at the court.
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For the record, this newspaper holds Judge Nare in high esteem and it is our humble submission that he is above reproach.
This recklessness could be the work of naïve, overzealous civil servants with little regard for the sensitivity of the matter at hand and the integrity of the men and women on the bench.
Yet Justice Nare is an honourable judge. It is our advise that he should be wary of zealots in the civil service that might naïvely soil his honourable name as he honourably exits the bench.
Being the honourable judge he is, Justice Nare needs to set the record straight otherwise as critics charge that it smacks of a travesty of justice.
