Stefanus Nashama
The Independent Patriots for Change Leader, Panduleni Itula said the Government’s three pillars namely the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary shock the nation beyond recognition, as they continue to break the provisions of the rule of law.
He said this on Saturday while addressing a group of IPC Executives from different regions under the theme “Reorganization for victory in 2024 and the role of a patriotic Namibia”, in Windhoek.
Itula blamed the Judiciary “for allowing the Head of State, President Hage Geingob to appoint the Zimbabwean Judge Rita Makarau as Acting Judge of the Supreme Court in Namibia, whose integrity is questionable”.
“That was wrong, our Judiciary is shocking, something is wrong in the system of the interpretation of Namibian laws”, Itula said.
Itula further said the Judiciary violates the provision of the rule of law, by allowing the President to appoint a Zimbabwean Judge to serve.
Last week shortly after the announcement of Makarau’s appointment, IPC along with other opposition parties specifically, the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), and the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) questioned the appointment.
The opposition parties viewed the appointment of Makarau as unconstitutional, adding there are women competent, experienced, and available to take on any role in the judicial system in Namibia.
However, the Judicial Service Commission last week justified the appointment, saying Makarau’s appointment was based on the Commission’s recommendation and her prior judicial experience in the position, having worked as a Judge President and a Judge in the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.
“Lady Justice Makarau presently serves as a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe.
The Commission considered it apt to recommend the appointment of a seasoned female judge such as Lady Justice Makarau to mentor Justices Hannelie Prinsloo and Esi Schimming-Chase,” the Commission’s Secretary, Sakeus Akwenda said.
Makarau is not the first foreign Judge asked to work in Namibia.
Itula further expressed that it was shocking when President Geingob stood alone without any pillar of support, to welcome dignitaries and ambassadors to Namibia without the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
He described that as a shock of diplomacy and protocol, and a shock to the people of Namibia.
“The Popular Democratic Movement and The United People’s Movement, formerly known as the Rehoboth Democratic Movement, on 28 August 2019 came together in an agreement which they call a coalition, and that agreement was submitted to the Electoral Commission of Namibia for it to acknowledge the agreement,” Itula narrated.
The UPM, he said never placed a list of Parliamentarians in the ECN. The PDM attached the names of UPM to its list and submitted it as a list of Parliamentarians.
This, Itula said is out of the law and should not be allowed by the ECN.
He said numbers: three, eight and 18 in the PDM Parliament list belong to UPM, which is not a party and it does not exist.
“How did the ECN allow such a coalition, which is a violation of the provision of the ECN? How did those members sit in Parliament when they were not voted and did not participate in the election,” he questioned.
The Secretary General of the UPM does not appear in the list gazette by ECN, and the President was to be PDM’s Vice President by the time of the coalition, Itula alleges.
He questioned the integrity of the ECN and the principles of democratic institutions in Namibia.
Itula added that after the coalition, an entity should register as a political party, but that did not happen, adding that UPM does not exist.
The ECN, he added does not have a provision that allows such a coalition.
