Samuel Shinedima
CHIEF Justice Peter Shivute administered the oath of office to two of the three recently appointed female High Court Justices as acting judges of the Supreme Court.
The two judges sworn in are Esi Schimming-Chase and Hannelie Prinsloo, while Judge Rita Makaru, a Zimbabwean national, is yet to be sworn in.
Schimming-Chase pursued her law studies in Coventry, United Kingdom, and was admitted as a Barrister to the Middle Temple Inns of Court in England in October 1994.
She returned to Namibia in January 1995 and became the country’s first black female practicing Senior Counsel in July 2017. In 2020, she was appointed as a High Court judge.
Schimming-Chase served as the Chair of the Namibian Society of Advocates’ Council in 2016 and 2017. She previously worked as a legal officer at Namibia’s Attorney-General’s Office, specializing in public international law and representing the Office both locally and internationally.
Justice Prinsloo, on the other hand, has been a substantive High Court Judge since July 1, 2017. Prior to her appointment to the High Court, Prinsloo served as a chief magistrate court judge.
The two judges were accompanied by family members and friends during the swearing-in ceremony to celebrate their achievement.
In the accompanying photo, Prinsloo is shown in the front left, while Schimming-Chase is in the front right. Chief Justice Shivute, Deputy Chief Justice and High Court Judge President Petrus Damaseb, and Appeal Justice Dave Smuts, all of whom serve on Namibia’s highest court, are also present.
