Justice Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, who also Attorney General, said this during her opening speech on Wednesday at a four-day ministerial retreat outside Okahandja.

Iivula-Ithana said slow and substandard administration at the Ministry of Justice had led to a greater loss of public confidence in the judiciary.

"Services at the ministry are so slow that people out there have now lost confidence in the justice system.

There are no records kept at the ministry, no data capturing and a lack of professional mentorship to build capacity," the Minister said.

She said many other problems, such as the lack of proper headquarters, were of a financial nature.

Since Independence, the Ministry's budget has never exceeded 1,4 per cent of the national Budget despite the massive workload and responsibilities of the Ministry.

The few professional officers in the Ministry were often overburdened with scrutinising and assisting other ministries and State institutions with the implementation of Acts of Parliament, the Minister said.

Iivula-Ithana urged the heads of the 13 ministerial divisions attending the workshop to discuss these challenges to ensure that the Ministry could render high-quality service to everyone.

"We need to improve service delivery to the Namibian public and I trust that your continued service in the public sector is testimony to your preparedness to strive for better standards."

The retreat would also look at the structures within the Ministry, conditions of service, disciplinary matters, training policies, office space, library services, the legislative drafting process and preparation of appeal records.

- Nampa

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