Windhoek: President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has welcomed the establishment of a task force to review security challenges faced by judges, magistrates, prosecutors, and legal practitioners. Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that threats against judicial officers undermine the effective functioning of the judiciary, noting that recent reports concerning their safety have become a matter of concern.
According to Namibia Press Agency, in her keynote address at the opening of the 2026 legal year, the president urged the task force to conclude its work as a matter of urgency. 'No officer of the court should be required to discharge their duties under fear, intimidation, or threat. Where dissatisfaction arises with a judicial decision, our justice system provides lawful avenues for appeal and review. No individual or group should ever take the law into their own hands,' Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Speaking to Nampa on the sidelines of the event, Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Fillemon Wise Immanuel, reiterated that the safety of judicial officers has become a primary concern. 'There have been reported incidents where prosecutors were attacked or where their safety appeared to have been compromised and, as a result, the task force was created. The multi-stakeholder task force is looking into the safety environment of judicial officers, as well as prosecutors in general. The task force will then make recommendations,' Immanuel said.
The task force comprises staff from the Office of the Judiciary, the Ministry of Labour Relations and Justice, the Office of the Attorney General, as well as the Namibian Police Force. A determination will be made on whether prosecutors and magistrates should be provided with bodyguards and drivers.
'The situational analysis and environmental scanning being conducted by the task force members will determine the appropriate recommendations, and we will look at what is feasible. We remain committed to ensuring optimal safety for the officials concerned,' Immanuel explained.
In October 2025, a prosecutor stationed at the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court was attacked at her home by suspects who threw acid at her and smashed her car windows. At the time, the Oshana Regional Commander, Commissioner Sakaria Lungameni, confirmed that the attack was linked to the prosecutor's official duties in a high-profile criminal prosecution matter. The prosecutor remains hospitalised under police guard, with the criminal case currently before the courts.