Namibia - March 2023

For the first time since its independence in 1990, Namibia has appointed female judges to serve on its supreme court. Lady Justice Rita Makarau, Lady Justice Johanna Prinsloo, and Lady Justice Esi Schimming-Chase will serve as temporary, Acting Supreme Court Judges from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Three male Acting Supreme Court Judges were appointed to serve one-year terms in January 2023. Under the Namibian constitution, Acting Judges can be appointed to the Supreme Court to fill casual vacancies or on an ad hoc basis where their expertise is required by a particular case. The small number of permanent Supreme Court Judges (presently four) and case backlogs have meant that there has been a significant demand for Acting Judges. The appointments were welcomed by gender equality activists in Namibia as the shattering of ‘a huge glass ceiling.’ However, the country’s Minister of Justice, Yvonne Dausab, cautioned that more needed to be done to transform the leadership of Nambia’s senior courts, which she said remained male-dominated.

Sources: Judicial Service Commission, Voice of America, Namibia Daily News, Namibian Government Gazette, Constitute Project, Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative, Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, Ministry of Justice, Namibia Equal Rights Movement