By Mercy Matonga:
Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda has been elected chairperson for the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justices’ Forum (SEACJF).
The election, according to the Ministry of Justice’s official Facebook page, took place on Saturday during the forum’s annual general meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana, where chief justices, judges and legal experts from 16 countries convened under the theme ‘Judicial Independence and Accountability in Safeguarding the Rule of Law’.
In his acceptance remarks, Mzikamanda pledged to build on the foundation laid by his predecessors.
“I am honoured by this trust. The forum has made remarkable strides in promoting judicial independence and collaboration in our region. I look forward to continuing this important work and taking it to greater heights,” he said.
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Mzikamanda will lead the Management Committee, which is the forum’s principal executive arm responsible for shaping its agenda and driving programmes that align with its constitutional objectives.
During the week-long gathering, Botswana President Duma Boko delivered the keynote address, urging African judiciaries to safeguard their independence while remaining accountable to the people.
He described the Judiciary as the “bedrock of democracy, socio-economic growth and the rule of law”.
SEACJF was established in 2003, when it started serving as a platform for regional judicial cooperation and the exchange of best practices across courts in Southern and Eastern Africa.
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Through its annual meetings and thematic discussions, the forum fosters collective advocacy on issues affecting justice delivery, governance and the rule of law.
Mzikamanda led Malawi’s delegation to the meeting, which ran from October 8 to 11.
Mzikamanda took over leadership of the regional judicial body from eSwatini Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala.
