Judiciary’s regional partnerships are mutually beneficial, minister says

Justice minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel last week said Namibia's judiciary has benefited significantly from strategic partnerships with peer jurisdictions while also contributing expertise to courts across the region.

Responding to questions in the National Assembly from Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) member Mulunga Elvis Lizazi, Immanuel said modern judicial systems cannot operate in isolation and require collaboration with comparable democratic jurisdictions to exchange knowledge and best practices.

The minister revealed that Namibia has concluded memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the judiciaries of Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, Cuba, Indonesia and Zimbabwe, while similar agreements are under consideration with South Africa, Botswana and Malawi.

Immanuel said a delegation from Zimbabwe is currently visiting Namibia to study the country's court-connected alternative dispute resolution system.

"The High Court Rules have served as a blueprint for peer jurisdictions, and court-connected mediation, which is only now gaining wider regional traction, was incorporated into our court system in 2014. It is on this basis that Zimbabwe has shown interest in our model," he said.

The minister stressed that the relationship between the two countries is mutually beneficial.

“While Namibia benefits from the service of Zimbabwean judges, former High Court Justice Marlene Tommasi has also been appointed to act in the High Court of Zimbabwe," he said.

He added that Namibia has drawn lessons from Zimbabwe's progress in court digitisation as part of efforts to modernise the country's justice system.

Justice strengthened

Together with other justice-sector stakeholders, the judiciary is implementing an integrated electronic case management and information system (IECMIS) aimed at improving case management, increasing efficiency and enhancing access to justice.

"Pursuant to the MoU, a Namibian delegation visited Zimbabwe in July this year to learn from their experience, and similar benchmark visits have also been conducted in Rwanda and Uganda," he said.

"IECMIS and related initiatives, including the reduction of case backlog, particularly in the lower courts, will strengthen the judicial system and enhance public confidence in the administration of justice. Zimbabwe has achieved success in both these areas, and Namibia is drawing on its proven experience," he said.

Responding to concerns that Namibia could become dependent on foreign judges, the minister dismissed such fears as unfounded. "The risk of Namibia creating long-term dependency on foreign judges through the appointment of Zimbabwean judges is unfounded," he said.

He noted that while foreign judges from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, and the United Kingdom had assisted Namibia's judiciary in the years immediately following independence, the courts were no longer reliant on external judicial officers.

"Engagements are need-based and reciprocal; for example, the deputy chief justice serves as an acting judge in the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Lesotho," he said.

Immanuel added that Namibian judges had served as acting judges in Botswana, while another had served at continental level under the auspices of the African Union.

"Judicial exchanges with foreign judiciaries are reciprocal and principled: they build capacity at home, share Namibia's successes, and strengthen the rule of law in the region and beyond."