Staff Reporter
The Executive Director of the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations, Dr Audrin Mathe, has shed light on several challenges within the justice system, ranging from avoidable delays to inaccessible infrastructure that hampers the delivery of justice and makes it less accessible.
“Infrastructure is not a luxury. It’s a foundation of accessible justice. A court that is distant, overcrowded, poorly maintained, inaccessible to persons with disabilities cannot serve the public. We need secure waiting areas and private consultations. We also need facilities for children survivors of gender-based violence. Reliable connectivity and sound record management are essential. Mobile courts, community services or alternative dispute resolution and digital platforms can bring justice closer to the people, especially in remote communities,” Mathe said.
He made these remarks during the State of Justice Summit, convened by the Ministry of Justice and Labour under the theme, “Strengthening Justice in Namibia: Building an Efficient, Accessible and Trusted Justice Sector”.
Mathe further raised concerns about the shortage of psychiatrists available to conduct forensic assessments, saying the challenge requires a coordinated response across government. He emphasised that strengthening mental health capacity is essential to ensuring a humane and efficient justice system, warning that lengthy waits for specialist assessments can delay fair proceedings.
“Delays deepen trauma, prolonged uncertainty increase costs and erodes public trust. Postponement illustrates this challenge. Some postponements are necessary to protect fairness. Avoidable postponements consume the time of courts, witnesses and officials. They may result from incomplete investigations or missing records. Other causes includes unavailable witnesses, delayed export reports, transport difficulties and poor communication. We must move from managing avoidable postponements to preventing them. This requires some preparation, timely information sharing and effective representation and accurate data. Every delay should prompt two questions: where did the process fail? How can we repair it?” Mathe added.
Photo: MICT
