Rats chewing up evidence at Rundu court

Rats and other elements are feasting on court documents in overcrowded storerooms and offices at the Rundu Magistrate’s Court – which serves the two Kavango regions.It is still unclear when Kavango West will have its own magistrate’s court.The offices are packed to the rafters with papers, files and boxes due to a lack of space, Namibian Sun found.Officials have described the situation as ‘messy’, with essential documents – many key to ongoing criminal cases – stacked on counters because there is no alternative space to store them.There is such a lack of organisation that visitors could walk out with court documents that litter the office and no one would notice.This is, however, just the tip of the iceberg as far as the lack of office space at the Rundu Magistrate’s Court is concerned.To add fuel to the fire, employees said the line ministry is aware of their challenges, but it appears their cries are not taken seriously.With documents dating back to 1993 still filed at the offices, court staff said the ministry should think of ways of getting rid of old files.PigstyNamibian Sun saw a bunch of documents that have been destroyed by rodents and reptiles.“The working environment is not great here. As you can see, this is no different from a pigsty,” one court official said.“Head office has been aware of our challenges for years, but nothing has been done to create a good environment for us. We deserve to be treated better.“What kind of service delivery do you expect from us if this is the environment which we operate in?”While agreeing with these sentiments, a senior court official refused to comment, and instead referred queries to the justice ministry.However, no response has been forthcoming from the ministry for a week and a half.Namibian Sun enquired about the lack of space, the lack of a filing system as well as when Kavango West will have its own magistrate’s court.Kavango West cases are occasionally dealt with at the Kahenge Periodic Court, with court officials from Rundu required to travel to Kahenge and be stationed there for at least a week each time.kenya@namibiansun.com

Rats chewing up evidence at Rundu court

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Rats chewing up evidence at Rundu court

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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