Judge firm on judicial independence

Namibia’s Chief Justice, Johan Strydom, has warned that the courts will use their powers when the independence of the judiciary is undermined, ‘The Namibian’ said on Tuesday. Speaking at a conference organised by the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Polytechnic of Namibia, Strydom said on Monday that judges were dedicated to serve Namibians “notwithstanding constant pressure of work”. “On those few occasions where attacks on the bench from people in government office exceeded the bounds of legitimate criticism, we were fortunate to get the assurances of no less a person than the President of the Republic of Namibia that government was committed to upholding the Constitution, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.” “So far we have in these instances gone the way of reconciliation rather than confrontation but that is not to say that the judiciary will not use its powers under the Constitution,” Strydom told lawyers and academics in Windhoek.