WINDHOEK – The People’s Litigation Centre (PLC) under the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement has appointed Umunee Marinee Matundu as director of the centre, with effect from yesterday.
Matundu, 22, holds a Bachelor of Law (Hons) from the University of Namibia (Unam) and previously worked at the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC).
The newly appointed director believes PLC’s focus on social justice issues is pivotal to alleviate the current social challenges experienced by most Namibians.
This includes the desire to continuously be involved in forming amicable relationships with all relevant stakeholders and bodies in order to devise methods and solutions.
“I envisage PLC to serve as a body that creates a platform for more people to acquire legal assistance despite their social status. Despite the reality that, as with any other newly formed entity, we will face challenges. However, everyone involved in the work that has been put out by the PLC is deeply passionate about social justice,” said Matundu.
She noted that passion creates longevity and sustainability as they continue to seek ways to be effective, adding that they want to ensure to deliver work that is a true reflection of their principles of equity, accessibility and participation by all.
Mathias Haufiku, chairman of PLC, believes the centre is in capable hands and that Matundu will do a stellar job in steering its work as its founding director.
“She was the most outstanding candidate during the recruitment process and we thus feel that she has the pedigree to lead the centre. As trustees we pledge to unconditionally support her as she takes on this journey. We have no doubt that her training at law school will be key to lay the foundational aspects of its administration and operations,” said Haufiku.
Matundu was selected after a stringent recruitment process which involved more than 100 applications. The new director’s key performance areas will include facilitation of litigation and research, administration and human resources, as well as external stakeholder engagement.
Furthermore, she will be responsible for the overall strategic planning of the centre’s activities such as strategy formulation, and to ensure that the centre is financially sound to execute its mandate.