Renthia Kaimbi
The Magistrates and Judges Association of Namibia (MJA) has issued a formal strike notice.
It says members will withhold their labour from today over the government’s prolonged and unexplained failure to implement improved benefits.
The notice was sent to finance minister Ericah Shafudah, justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel, the Magistrates Commission and the office of the judiciary.
It signals a complete breakdown in trust and communication following a court confrontation on 14 November.
The dispute centres on the government’s failure to announce a corrected schedule for housing and vehicle allowances.
The Magistrates Commission recommended the alignment on 7 November under the Magistrates Act, and the association says N$8 million has already been budgeted for its implementation.
Magistrates also agreed to forgo backpay for April to July 2025 to ease the financial burden on the state, but despite this concession, the process has not moved forward.
“Yet despite this significant concession, there has been no clarity, no written correspondence, and no substantive progress toward implementation,” the association wrote.
The letter states that Immanuel submitted the corrected schedule to Shafudah for concurrence on 12 November, but the finance minister raised queries.
The association argues that no written explanation has been given and says this has created a climate of uncertainty and instability.
This comes after a High Court matter in which Immanuel withdrew an urgent application aimed at declaring a magistrates’ strike illegal.
He had told the court that magistrates were on a ‘go-slow’ and said stoppages were affecting the justice system. The magistrates filed sworn statements denying any industrial action at the time.
The new strike notice now marks a clear shift. By notifying the government under article 21(f) of the Constitution, the association has made the action official, which avoids any accusation that they misled the court.
“The precarious situation on the ground has reached an unsustainable point. Magistrates cannot continue to operate under financial strain, uncertainty, and administrative silence,” the association wrote.
The letter also demands full transparency and requests all correspondence exchanged between the two ministries regarding the allowance schedule.
At the time of publication, there had been no public response from the ministers of justice and labour relations or finance to intervene or prevent a strike that may disrupt the lower court system.
