Obrein Simasiku
Omuthiya-A fully-fledged regional magistrate’s court will soon be constructed in Omuthiya.
Land for this purpose has been acquired.
Chief Justice Peter Shivute revealed this when he paid a courtesy call to the Governor of Oshikoto Region, Henock Kankoshi. Shivute is on a tour of the regions where he is meeting with magistrates and staff to update them on the Office of the Judiciary.
“We have already drafted the drawing up of the building. Construction will start as soon as the resources are available and this will be done in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for capital projects. But all the paperwork is done,” said Shivute.
The Office of the Judiciary was formed in line with Article 78 (5) of the Namibian constitution. The Act came into operation in 2015, making it an independent body of the judiciary, separate from the Ministry of Justice. It is administratively and financially independent.
Before the establishment of this Act, the Ministry of Justice was responsible for providing support to the judiciary. Directorates within the Ministry of Justice were previously responsible for the administration of the judiciary.
Shivute said it has about 1,000 staff members, including those previously assigned to the Ministry of Justice.
“The judiciary now has a permanent secretary who plans and drafts the budget, which is forwarded to Cabinet for approval. It will be headed by the chief justice who will supervise the judiciary, exercise responsibility and monitor the norms and standards for the exercise of judicial functions of all the courts,” the chief justice said.
Governor Kankoshi thanked the Ministry of Justice and Office of the Judiciary for taking a proactive stance.
“This is much-needed development in the town, considering that Omuthiya is the capital of the region. It will make the police‘s work much easier to prosecute offenders, hence cutting down on the cost of travelling to Tsumeb or Ondangwa,” he added.