Supreme Court and High court registrar Gladys Gondwe, has told Zodiak Tuesday that subject to funding provision from treasury and other partners such as, UN Women and European Union, they will construct and rehabilitate some dilapidated courts in the country by 2025.

"We have five-year rehabilitation and construction plans.  These are of course subject to provision of funding for the projects by Treasury," Gondwe said in a written response.

Under the five-year rehabilitation and construction plans we have seen, judiciary is expected to rehabilitate about 45 courts and construct other 30 across the country.

Zodiak finds that the judiciary plans to construct a court at Masenjere in Thyolo next year, but the dilapidated courts in Bvumbwe, Thukuta, Chimaliro and Khonjeni areas will not be rehabilitated soon.

Meanwhile, one of the justice seekers at Thyolo district magistrate court, Brivet Tchokani, from Bvumbwe has asked government to swiftly rehabilitate the courts in rural areas like Makungwa.

"In the past, we were accessing justice within our localities, but now things are not okay. You see I have travelled all this distance for this civil case. If there was a dilapidated court at Makungwa, all this would have ended there.

"So, government should consider rehabilitating these courts", he said.

Tchokani says this would help to reduce backlog of cases and long distances communities are covering to access justice at the district magistrate's court.

In 2021/2022 fiscal year, the judiciary was supposed to construct Mapanga and Goliati courts in the district, but nothing has materialized.