OMUTHIYA – Deputy Minister of Justice Tommy Nambahu on Friday concluded his weeklong visit to the Kavango West and Oshikoto regions where he said courts would soon be established.
Omuthiya, the new regional capital for Oshikoto and Nkurenkuru the new capital for Kavango West, are similar in that neither have courts. The justice deputy minister therefore saw it only fitting that his ministry visit the regions and quickly establish where and when courts would be built to address the needs of people living in the new capitals.
Other issues addressed involved finding out what crimes were most prevalent in the areas.
Oshikoto Regional Governor Penda ya Ndakolo extended a hand of gratitude to Nambahu for the courtesy call. The governor expressed his misgivings about why a court had not yet been built at Omuthiya.
“I do not know why periodical courts stopped – they helped our people who are now only faced with one alternative, which is to travel long distances to come to court. But I understand that progress does not come overnight and it can be a lengthy process,” said ya Ndakolo.
“Kavango West and Oshikoto regions were greatly affected by the divisions. Kavango, which used to be one region, was divided into Kavango east and west. The Oshikoto Region was also reorganised with most offices being relocated to the new regional capital that is Omuthiya. We wanted to acquaint ourselves with the new regions, their visions and plans and to hear from our people on the ground what crimes are mostly committed in their area – that way we can align our plans based on the findings,” said Nambahu.
The deputy minister said that most people in Namibia are oblivious to the fact that the closest police station in some areas is more than 100km away. “For a person in Mangetti to pay N$150 to go report a stolen goat or appear in court and then pay the same to go back, just to have his case postponed several times is unfair. By the time the case is over this individual would have paid over two times the price of a goat –this defeats the purpose of justice. If people living in towns like us who have access to all these facilities complain when our cases are postponed, imagine what people in rural areas must feel,” he said.
According to Nambahu, it is high time Namibians started thinking of new methods to address the needs of their people instead of defending and keeping the inherited philosophies of the past regime. He also challenged magistrates to go out and assess for themselves the situation on the ground of the communities they serve.
“Politics is everywhere, however teamwork remains a vital part of any organisation. Simply put, sabotaging a fellow employee is sabotaging the entire court, the judicial system and at the end of the day the entire country as a whole. Value the contribution of every member in your team – be it a cleaner regardless of how insignificant you may think their contribution,” said Nambahu.
By John Travolter Matali