Court interpreter in labour storm

Source: Court interpreter in labour storm – The Southern Eye

A MBERENGWA court interpreter has been charged for misconduct after he dragged the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to court over a labour dispute.

In a letter dated September 12, 2023, Acting Chief Magistrate Ngoni Nduna ordered investigations to be instituted against Daniel Dube for misconduct.

Following the investigations, Nduna on September 25 wrote to Dube officially charging him for misconduct.

“The grounds on which the charges of misconduct are based are that while you were employed by the JSC as a court interpreter for Mberengwa Magistrates Court you committed the following acts of misconduct: contravening paragraph 7 of the Third Schedule of the Judicial Service regulations 2015 (unbecoming or indecorous behaviour at any time or place in any manner or circumstances likely to bring the commission or any part thereof into disrepute,” Nduna wrote.

He said sometime last year, an entity calling itself the Judicial Employees Union of Zimbabwe (JEUZ) filed a court application against JSC seeking an order declaring all court interpreters as professionals.

“The deponent to the founding affidavit is you, Dube, a court interpreter in the capacity of the president of the union,” Nduna said.

“It is alleged that you went on to make the application in your capacity as the president of the union while you were quite aware of the mutual engagements between the secretary and the Court Interpreters Association of Zimbabwe which were already in motion regarding the same subject matter and that there was no basis to litigate. In any event, this is a matter that the Treasury was already seized with.

“It is clear that the actions are a sign of disrespect to the commission.”

On the second count, Nduna said Dube sued the commission while he had no mandate to do so from anyone.

The JEUZ lawsuit against JSC was dismissed with costs by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Christopher Dube Banda on August 25, 2023.

In his response, Dube said he was only exercising his constitutional right to sue on behalf of the union.

The matter is pending.