Magistrate sued for presiding over alleged lover’s case

A Keetmanshoop magistrate is facing serious allegations of judicial misconduct after being accused of presiding over a child maintenance case involving a man she was allegedly romantically involved with - and with whom she later had a child.The case in question involves Lucia Hamana, formerly Karawora, who was taken to court by her ex-husband, Heinrich Karawora, in September 2023. Karawora sought a monthly child maintenance payment of N$1,600 for their two children.The matter was adjudicated by Magistrate Unchen Konjore, who, according to Hamana, is currently living with the same two minor children for whom she was ordered to pay maintenance.Hamana, through her legal representatives Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys, argues that the maintenance amount was imposed without any supporting documentation from the complainant and was far beyond her financial means.As a result, on Friday, 4 April, Hamana’s legal team issued a letter of demand to Magistrate Konjore, accusing her of bias, abuse of power, and breaching the Magistrates’ Code of Conduct of 2010. They are demanding N$200,000 in compensation for what they describe as “malicious and perfidious” conduct. Should Konjore fail to comply by 21 April 2025, legal proceedings will be launched.Conflict of interest allegationsThe letter, seen by Namibian Sun, alleges that Konjore was in a sexual relationship with Karawora during the time she presided over the matter. Despite the apparent conflict of interest, she failed to recuse herself from the case.It further alleges that Hamana was not afforded a fair opportunity to present her case and that Konjore disregarded her evidence.After Hamana reportedly fell behind on payments, a warrant of arrest was issued on 4 January 2024, allegedly signed by Konjore herself.On 15 February 2024, Hamana voluntarily reported to the Keetmanshoop Police Station, where she was arrested and detained without food or water. According to her, she was not taken to court that day. She was later transferred to Bethanie police station, approximately 140 km away, where she spent the night in custody.“Our client was brought back to the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court the next day, where she remained in custody the entire day without food or water. She only appeared in court at 18:06, where she was granted bail of N$1,000,” the letter stated.As of 4 April, the Office of the Judiciary had not issued any public response to the allegations. Attempts to contact Magistrate Konjore for comment were unsuccessful.Calls for removalThe controversy surrounding Magistrate Konjore is not new. Six months ago, Keetmanshoop residents held a peaceful protest demanding her immediate removal.A petition submitted by the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Youth Command accused Konjore of striking key cases off the roll, including the matter of Elleste Plaatjie, a police brutality victim who died after allegedly being assaulted by police in January 2023.The petition cited widespread judicial inconsistency, police misconduct, and case management discrepancies, and also accused Konjore of intimidating individuals in court.“She threatens anyone she has a personal issue with, or who is associated with someone she dislikes,” the petition read. “She even takes cases from other magistrates just to personally handle matters she has an interest in. People are afraid to speak out, fearing they could be next.”The judiciary has yet to formally address the growing calls for Konjore’s suspension.

Magistrate sued for presiding over alleged lover’s case

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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Magistrate sued for presiding over alleged lover’s case

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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