Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab said the government is accelerating efforts to increase the number of courts in the country. She said the Office of the Judiciary has requested additional resources to improve magistrates’ conditions of service, and appoint more magistrates to enhance efficiency and access to justice. Dausab’s remarks are in response to concerns raised in Parliament recently by National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) Member of Parliament Joseph Kauandenge regarding a shortage of magistrates in the country. Kauandenge said despite interviews held last October, no appointments have been made hitherto. “The northern part and other parts of the country are hard-hit by the shortage. Magistrates are a cornerstone of the legal system at the grassroots level. However, magistrates deal with a multitude of cases at the regional level. Is this a hotspot for justice denied?” he questioned.
Dausab acknowledged the challenges in the judicial sector, particularly the limited number of presiding officers and court infrastructure.
She said the shortage of magistrates impacts the delivery of justice across Namibia.
“I want to agree with you that there is a challenge around the number of presiding offices across the country. That impacts specifically on the delivery of justice in some areas of our country. I think also generally,” she stated. Dausab clarified that the magistracy falls under the Office of the Judiciary. While the minister of justice serves as the national voice for the institution, the Magistrates Commission, under the direction of the Chief Justice, manages the appointment and recruitment of magistrates.
“I can tell you that I don’t know when the issue, specifically about the lack of magistrates, was raised with you. But as of last week, I signed a number of appointments of magistrates,” Dausab said.
She noted that one of the persistent challenges is retaining magistrates due to competitive opportunities in both the public and private sectors. “There is a lot of mobility within the judicial system. People leave for the private sector. Others are reappointed to higher positions,” she added.
Dausab highlighted that Namibia’s population has grown significantly from 1.4 million in 1990 to over 3 million today. However, judicial infrastructure and staffing levels have not expanded at the same pace.
In response, the government has taken “accelerated reform activities to increase the number of courts in the country.” She noted that the Office of the Judiciary has submitted an additional request to the finance ministry to increase resources for magistrates, and improve their conditions of service. “Just two weeks ago, the Office of the Judiciary made an additional request to increase and improve the conditions of service for magistrates so that they are, even if they are not at the same level, sufficiently satisfactory for magistrates to remain in this position,” Dausab noted.