Protecting those who protect the rule of law

The decision to move closer to a comprehensive security plan for Namibia’s magistrates and prosecutors is a welcome and necessary development. It demonstrates that the country’s justice system is not merely acknowledging the risks faced by those who administer and prosecute the law, but is beginning to respond to them in a structured and institutional manner.

The meeting convened by Chief Justice Peter Shivute with key stakeholders to consider the findings of a security assessment covering more than 400 judicial officers and prosecutors is therefore significant. The anticipated submission of the assessment to Cabinet and the Office of the Prime Minister marks an important transition from concern and consultation towards concrete policy consideration.

This is precisely how a constitutional democracy should respond when those entrusted with upholding the law become vulnerable to intimidation, violence and physical harm.

The death of Ondangwa regional control prosecutor Justine Shiweda remains a painful reminder of what is at stake. Shiweda was only 32 when she succumbed to injuries sustained in a brutal attack in October 2025. Her death shocked the legal fraternity and the wider Namibian public, while raising fundamental questions about whether those who enforce and interpret the law are adequately protected.

But tragedy must not be the only catalyst for reform.