KEETMANSHOOP – Keetmanshoop residents staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday, calling for the removal of principal magistrate Unchen Konjore.
The protest comes a week after Konjore struck the case of two police officers accused of assaulting 31-year-old Elleste Plaatjie at Keetmanshoop in January last year, off the court roll. Plaatjie died a week later in the Katutura Intermediate Hospital in Windhoek.
According to the State, the prosecutor general’s decision is still pending as investigations are not complete. Konjore said the case can be added to the court roll again once the investigation is finalised and the State is ready to continue with the matter.
“The State will suffer no prejudice if the accused are resummoned once investigations are finalised and the decision is ready,” said Konjore. The group, in their petition read by community activist Easter Isaak, alleged discrepancies in case management. They alleged that serious crimes like domestic violence, stock theft and rape remain unresolved for years while the police officers involved in a murder case were shown leniency.
“There are cases of domestic violence that take over two years. Drinking and driving cases are postponed 10 times, rape cases remain unresolved for three years, but a murder case involving police officers is struck off the court roll,” said the group.
They questioned why the magistrate did not summon the investigating officer to explain the delay in the case instead of removing it from the court roll.
“This case was before court four times and that was enough for her, compared to someone appearing in court 10 times or more for the same reason – of the state not being ready – but cases are not removed from the court roll,” they said.
The group further demanded that the Magistrates’ Commission consider transferring Konjore to a different region or removing her from all pending matters involving police officers to maintain the integrity of the Judiciary.
“This office has two days to respond to our petition. We have endured these injustices for too long, it is time for accountability and meaningful reforms in our justice system. Magistrate Konjore has overstayed her welcome in Keetmanshoop,” read their petition.
–Nampa