Opposition slam Damaseb’s Tanzania inquiry nomination

Sostenus Wilherm

The nomination of Namibia’s deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb to serve on a Tanzanian Presidential Commission of Inquiry has sparked fierce criticism from opposition parties, with the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement and the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) accusing the Namibian government of compromising the country’s judicial independence.

AR on Thursday described the nomination as a “political act of complicity” rather than judicial cooperation, arguing that Namibia’s judiciary should not be used to legitimize Tanzania’s handling of the violence that followed its October 2025 general elections.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced on Wednesday that chief justice Peter Shivute had nominated Damaseb following a request from the Tanzanian government for a serving or retired Namibian judge to serve on the commission investigating the root causes of the post-election violence.

However, AR activist-in-chief Job Amupanda questioned how the request was initiated, arguing that it originated at a political level rather than through judicial channels.