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Court Reporter
Two Zimbabwean judges, Justice Rita Makarau of the Constitutional Court and retired judge Justice Moses Chinhengo have been appointed to serve temporarily on the Namibian Supreme Court and High Court benches.
The Namibian Judicial Service Commission announced the appointment of the two following recommendations by the President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob.
Justice Makarau is a Constitutional Court judge in Zimbabwe, while retired Justice Chinhengo is currently Acting Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The Namibian commission said on Wednesday, Justice Makarau will be Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Namibia for one year starting from tomorrow until March 31 next year, while Justice Chinhengo will be Acting Judge of the High Court for at least three months beginning September 18 this year to December 31.
Justice Makarau is former Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and former secretary of the Judicial Services Commission in Zimbabwe.
She is the first female Judge President of Zimbabwe. Justice Makarau is also the Electoral Commissions Forum-SADC President.
Justice Chinhengo, is a member of the AMH Editorial board, and once served as a judge of the High Court of Botswana.
In 2021 he served as an acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Namibia. Last month the Namibian chief justice Peter Shivute said the Namibian Judicial Service Commission wanted to address the gender imbalance on the country’s Supreme Court bench, which had no women judges.
Justice Makarau will be joined by two other judges to serve in the Namibian judiciary, Justices Justice Johanna Sophia (Hannelie) Prinsloo and Esi Malaika Schemming-Chase who will also be an acting Judges of the Supreme Court for the same duration.
Dr Justice Collins Parker has been re-appointed as an acting Judge of the High Court, as has Advocate Ramon Maasdorp.
Adv Maasdorp currently practices as a member of the Society of Advocates, having been admitted to the Bar in 2009.
Online Reporter