Judge president pays tribute to retiring court registrar

The registrar of Namibia’s High Court and Supreme Court, Elsie Schickerling, has been “a pillar of stability during times of change”, judge president and deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb said yesterday.

The contributions made by Schickerling during the 17 years she has been the registrar of the country’s two top courts have left a lasting imprint on the institutions that she served, Damaseb said during an event to bid farewell to Schickerling at the Windhoek High Court.

Schickerling is retiring from the public service at the end of April.

Damaseb recounted that during her tenure as registrar, she played a central role in the introduction of judicial case management and court-connected mediation in the High Court.

She also steered the introduction of the High Court’s electronic case filing and management system, which was a transformative development that improved the accessibility of the court, enhanced transparency and brought the administration of justice closer to the country’s people, Damaseb said.

During Schickerling’s tenure, judges’ research assistants were introduced as well, and she was involved in the creation of the High Court’s northern division at Oshakati and the renovation of the High Court building in Windhoek, Damaseb recounted.

The registrar’s office is the backbone of the High Court, Damaseb said.

He added: “It demands not only technical competence, but integrity, discretion, patience and a deep understanding of the judicial process. Schickerling has embodied all these qualities. She has been a pillar of stability during times of change, a source of institutional memory and a dependable steward of the court’s administrative functions.”

Speaking at the same event, Schickerling recalled that she at first was not interested to apply for the registrar’s position when the post was advertised in late 2008, when she was serving as a magistrate, and that it took some persuasion for her to change her mind.

Her decision to apply for the position set her on “an unexpected path that grew into a deep responsibility, and ultimately a privilege to serve”, she remarked.

“A life in the judiciary requires sacrifice – long hours, difficult choices and a constant awareness of the responsibility we carry. Yet it is also deeply meaningful work,” Schickerling said.

She also stated: “I leave the High Court as a court of excellence – strengthened, evolving and respected. It is now your responsibility to uphold that standard, to protect its integrity and to carry forward the legacy we have built together.”

Schickerling obtained a law degree at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before she began to practise law in Pretoria in 1992.

She and her family relocated to Namibia in 1996, and she became a civil magistrate in Namibia in September 1996.

She was appointed as registrar of the country’s superior courts with effect from the start of March 2009.

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