WINDHOEK – The Minister of Justice Utoni Nujoma yesterday expressed serious concern over recurring incidents of dishonesty and lack of integrity and commitment to service among some of the staff members.
“I must say that I am not pleased with reports of cases of theft and fraud reported, especially from magistrates courts; cash halls,” the justice minister said. Maintenance money, court exhibits, dockets, bail money and state money collected in the form of taxes have been reported stolen from different corners of the country.
“This practice cannot be condoned and security measures must be implemented to safeguard state funds and those caught stealing must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I urge the Permanent Secretary to ensure that where money is stolen and the culprits found guilty, they should be made to pay back the money,” said Nujoma.
“My message to the thieves and fraudsters is that measures will be taken to nib your unpatriotic and selfish activities in the bud,” he added.
He also said there is a perception that the ministry is not responsive enough in terms of being available to attend to inquiries and the speed at which service is delivered.
The minister also blasted some of the staff for being lazy.
“Reports that some staff members sit in public office all day long playing cards on the computers, burying themselves under bags of chips and coca-cola cool drinks are quite embarrassing and disturbing,” said Nujoma. “There is a public outcry out there that not enough time is spent in court per day. Some periodical courts are notorious for not starting on time and for adjourning early,” Nujoma added.
He was addressing staff members during a meeting attended by his deputy, Tommy Nambahu, the Prosecutor-General Advocate Martha Imalwa, as well as magistrates and prosecutors. “We have to work in order to develop Namibia, we have to work in order to make Namibia a better place and achieve our vision as a country,” he said. He said the ministry of justice has made an effort through the finance ministry to motivate both long- and short-term human resource goals. According to him the problem of staff shortages will be addressed and the challenge is now for the management to ensure existing vacant positions are filled.
By Tunomukwathi Asino