Activists Hail Naming of Women Supreme Court Justices in Namibia

Gender equality activists have welcomed the first ever appointment of female justices to the country's supreme court, writes Vitalio Angula for Voice of America.

The chairperson of the Namibia Women Lawyers Association, Ruth Herunga, has said the appointment of three female judges, a first since the country gained independence, can be seen as the breaking of a glass ceiling.

Herunga said although women have gained access to positions of political power, a significant number of African countries still lag in the representation of women at the highest levels of the judiciary.

The country's minister of justice, Yvonne Dausab, has welcomed the appointments but said more needs to be done in terms of representation because the top tier leadership at both the Supreme Court and the High Court are still male dominated.

An all-male bench of the Supreme Court of Namibia recently overruled a High Court judgment in favor of a same-sex couple who were seeking citizenship for a child they said was theirs - born through surrogacy in South Africa.

In that matter, High Court Judge Esi Shimming-Chase ruled for the child to be granted citizenship, however, the highest court of appeal overturned that decision.

Shimming-Chase has now been appointed to the Supreme Court alongside High Court of Namibia Judge Johanna Prinsloo for a period of one year.

Zimbabwean Constitutional Court Judge Rita Makarau is the third new Supreme Court judge. Namibia's legal system allows for judges from other jurisdictions to serve on the country's high courts and Supreme Courts. Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and several other countries in the Southern African Development Community have similar systems and allow legal practitioners to work across borders as long as they are registered.