By Benjamin Wickham
WINDHOEK, April 6 — Namibia has recently appointed its first female justices to the country’s supreme court. The Namibia Women Lawyers Association has welcomed the appointments of three female judges, calling it a breaking of a glass ceiling. The appointments were celebrated as a step towards gender equality in the country. The appointment of female judges is vital in achieving equality and democracy as they play an active role in decision-making processes. However, the country’s minister of justice, Yvonne Dausab, commented that more needs to be done in terms of representation, as the top-tier leadership at both the Supreme Court and the High Court is still male-dominated.
One of the main challenges in achieving gender equality in the judiciary is representation. Women have gained access to positions of political power, but many African countries still lag in the representation of women at the highest levels of the judiciary. With these appointments, Namibia joins the ranks of other countries that have recently appointed women judges to the highest court.
Although the appointments of female judges were welcomed, the opposition party in Namibia has raised concerns over the appointment of Zimbabwean Constitutional Court Judge Rita Makarau. The opposition accuses her of being complicit in the alleged rigging of elections in Zimbabwe. Female activists, however, argue that if she were a man, her fitness for the bench would not have been questioned.
The appointment of female judges to the supreme court is a step forward for Namibia, and it will strike a balance in supreme court judgments. The new female judges must be held to the same standard as male judges and judged by the way they defend the weak in society and speak truth to power. The appointment of female judges is crucial in achieving a more equal society, and they have the chance to influence policy to improve society. – Namibia Daily News
