OMUTHIYA – Oshikoto regional governor Penda ya Ndakolo is advocating for the construction of a magistrate’s court in Omuthiya, citing the significant distances residents currently travel to attend court cases in other towns.

Ya Ndakolo said during the oversight visit of the National Assembly’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs on Tuesday at Omuthiya that people in the region are suffering due to the lack of a magistrate’s court.

He added that some individuals travel 170 kilometres to Tsumeb, and over 100 kilometres to Ondangwa to attend court sessions.

“We are suffering because we do not have any court in the headquarters of the region. We urgently need one to avoid the postponements of cases in the Ondangwa and Tsumeb courts,” the governor stressed.

He stated that up to 80% of cases in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court, which is in the Oshana region, come from the Oshikoto region.

Ya Ndakolo also pointed to escalating corruption, and urged everyone affiliated with it to stop.

“We have the wrong people sitting in good offices pretending to be good people, but they are bad people,” he observed.

The governor reiterated that people should fight corruption, as it betrays the country and affects the development of the region.

Ya Ndakolo also saluted the delegation for visiting and monitoring progress in the region.

The head of the delegation, Tjekero Tweya, said the committee visit entails overseeing the functions and programmes of the offices, ministries and agencies of the Ministry of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman, Electoral Commission of Namibia, and the Anti-Corruption Commission.

“We will concentrate on capital projects that were undertaken by these various entities, and oversee their functions. We will concentrate on it from the seventh Parliament session so that we can account for the period that we are members of Parliament,” he indicated.

Tweya said they want to establish the facts around what Parliament has been informed by these offices, particularly regarding the use of public funds.

 - Nampa