Justice administrators call for maintenance court

OSHAKATI – Justice administrators at Oshakati have proposed the establishment of maintenance, reception and traffic courts to address cases with the urgency it requires.

Maintenance and traffic cases are dealt with in existing courts where matters on the roll are dealt with daily.

Deputy prosecutor general advocate Lucious Matota called for the establishment of the maintenance court to ensure those who default are traced timeously and are brought to court, and that their maintenance orders are enforced.

Matota said it is shocking that certain maintenance cases are in arears of up to N$50 000, depriving the child of the money to survive on.

To put it into perspective, Matota said some of the cases in arrears are cases with N$300 and N$500 contributions.

“In the meantime, what is the child surviving on? Our children are suffering. We should have a maintenance court that sits daily,” Matota said further.

Matota was speaking at a meeting with Chief Justice Peter Shivute and justice minister Yvonne Dausab on Wednesday at Oshakati.

The deputy prosecutor general also called for the establishment of a reception court to deal with urgent bail application every hour of the day and cases on the roll for postponements and further investigation.

He said the presence of a reception court will allow other courts to deal with trials and ensure speedy finalisation of matters.

The same sentiments were shared by Jan Greyling of Greyling and Associates, who seconded that securing a date for a formal bail application is a tussle at the moment.

Greyling said, while they wait for a magistrate to be available for bail applications, their clients, some of whom are public service members, face the risk of losing their jobs if they do not report to their places of employment for 30 consecutive days.

Matota also proposed the establishment of a backlog court to address the cases falling into the category of a backlog.

As it stands, some matters dating back as far as 2007 have not yet been finalised.

Other issues raised at the meeting include a smooth issuing of witness fees, even at periodical courts, so that witnesses can continue to come to court and help the State finalise matters.

Legal aid practitioners also called for more resources, including human resources, as their operations are currently strained.

The interpreters also asked for refresher courses and a salary hike, claiming their remuneration packages are far too low.