By Nigel Pfunde
HARARE — In a major administrative intervention aimed supposedly at restoring dignity and privacy to customary judicial proceedings, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, has issued a national directive banning the unauthorized filming, live streaming and broadcasting of chiefs’ court sessions across Zimbabwe.
The measure, which is the latest in a series of sweeping directives issued by Muguti since his appointment last month, follows widespread public concern over the commercialization and sensationalization of traditional proceedings on social media platforms and online video channels.
For months, independent content creators, bloggers and digital media outlets have been broadcasting sensitive traditional court hearings, including marital disputes, boundary clashes and accusations of witchcraft, without the consent of litigating parties. Legal practitioners and civic groups warned that the practice infringed on constitutional rights to privacy and transformed communal justice mechanisms into digital entertainment.
According to the directive, Muguti said the ban was necessary to restore order and protect litigants.
“With immediate effect, the unauthorized filming, live streaming and broadcasting of chiefs’ courts is banned. Traditional courts are sacred institutions of justice and must be protected from commercialization and abuse. No person shall record or broadcast proceedings without prior written approval from the Ministry,” the directive reads.
The ban on cameras in traditional courts is just the latest in a blitz of orders that have earned Muguti the tag of the new sheriff in town.
Appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in September 2026 after serving as Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution, Muguti has wasted no time stamping his authority.
In just under a month in office, he has ordered all 92 local authorities to disconnect water supplies to government departments that fail to pay their council bills, declaring that central government cannot demand performance from councils while starving them of revenue.
He has also warned NGOs, development partners and private citizens against providing assistance to over 17,000 households affected by the devastating hailstorm in Masvingo without government approval, insisting that all aid must be coordinated at district and provincial level.
In addition, Muguti has directed that vending within all central business districts across the country be limited to between 6AM and 6PM, while vending in residential areas and high-density suburbs will be allowed up to 8PM, as part of Operation Chenesa Harare and the broader National Clean-Up, Restoration, Order and Safety Programme.
He has further issued a 14-day ultimatum to owners of dilapidated and unfinished buildings in all towns and cities to renovate, repaint or demolish them, as government moves to restore order in urban areas.
The Ministry says the new measure on chiefs’ courts will ensure that traditional justice is dispensed with dignity, confidentiality and cultural sensitivity, and that vulnerable litigants are not exploited for online views.
