Legal Assistance Centre-Namibia

In the News

Zimbabwe exiles on a warpath with Mugabe
19/08/2008: The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF), throught the help of the LAC, has lodged an urgent application with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal in Windhoek to declare President Robert Mugabe's government illegal and force regional leaders to stop inviting him to their meetings.

Lands Ministry 'mismanaged...in bad shape'
01/08/2008: The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement's land reform programme is "in bad shape and mismanaged on just about every level", a new LAC report claims.

Police partly to blame for suicide
24/07/2008: A case in which the mother and former girlfriend of a murder suspect, who committed suicide in 2004, sued the Minister of Safety and Security over the incident, has returned to the High Court with a ruling that the Police can only be held partially liable for the suspect's death.

Court confirms legality of dual citizenship for some Namibians
09/07/2008:A landmark judgement on dual citizenship in Namibia, delivered in the High Court last week, affirms that Namibian citizens by birth or descent can also hold the citizenship of another country without having to renounce their Namibian citizenship.

The Problem of Sex Work in Namibia
04/07/2008: Recent research conducted on behalf of the Legal Assistance Centre shows that 56 per cent of the women had been beaten by their clients, 50 per cent had been forced to have sex without a condom and 44 per cent had experienced trouble with the police.

Nam urged to break ties with Mugabe
24/06/2008: Pressure is mounting on President Hifikepunye Pohamba to sever diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe following the deepening political crisis in that country. Yesterday, Namibian political parties and NGO organisations, such as the LAC, joined international condemnation of President Robert Mugabe government, calling the leader's regime "illegitimate".

Govt lawyers rebuked for delays in Caprivi torture claim case
13/06/08: Government lawyers who last week asked for a postponement of a trial on three civil claims against the Minister of Home Affairs over the alleged torture of the LAC's clients in the Caprivi high treason matter received the postponement that they wanted, but also some criticism, in a ruling given in the High Court yesterday.

Namibian women need more rights to land
22/05/2008: Shortcomings in laws dealing with communal land rights and traditional authorities are so diverse that they should be amended to better secure property rights for widows and single women, handle land disputes and give land boards more clout to act, a LAC study reveals.

Namibians say NO to arms
25/04/2008: About 200 Namibians of all races and ages yesterday demonstrated against the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang carrying weapons for Zimbabwe in an LAC-led protest in front of the Chinese embassy.

Ship of shame sails for Angola
24/04/2008: As the LAC raised alarm on the Chinese ship carrying weapons destined for Zimbabwe, calls for an international arms embargo against Zimbabwe gained momentum.

Law tested in water vs mining case
11/04/2008: The LAC is challenging a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry that granted water permits to a large Canadian-owned mining company in the Namib Plains, one of the driest areas of Namibia.

Supreme Court hears appeal on rape of disabled child
08/04/2008: A landmark judgement, in which the High Court last year ordered the Minister of Education to pay more than N$100 000 to a LAC-assisted child and her guardian because of an alleged rape by a teacher when she was supposed to be in the safety of a State school hostel, went on appeal in the Supreme Court yesterday.

N$6 b health budget not enough: LAC
19/03/2008: New budgetary allocation for the health sector is not sufficient to overcome the challenges, including HIV and AIDS, the Health Ministry has to face, the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) has pointed out.

Court halts expropriation of four Namibian farms
07/03/2008: Citing an LAC report on land expropriation, a High Court judge ruled the Namibian government's attempt to expropriate four farms belonging to German nationals did not comply with legal provisions and, therefore, must be stopped.

Farmers alarmed by water permit for uranium mine
07/03/2008: LAC-assisted farmers are questioning how a Canadian mining company received a water permit to extract thousands of cubic metres of water from an underground river in one of the driest areas of Namibia.

Apartheid still exists in Namibia
17/01/2008: The LAC is lobbying to change discriminatory laws that provide for different marital regimes for couples of African descent that marry north of the Police Zone in northern Namibia.

Conservancy fires manager for alleged theft
17/12/2007: The LAC plays staff clean-up in the process to help conservancies draft their constitutions and enter into joint ventures with private tourism operators.
More 2007 news articles.

Other articles from 2006, 1996 to 2005 also online.