Magistrates’ strike looms

SHOULD the Minister of Justice, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, not provide an answer about salary increases to magistrates by September 15, a strike is on the cards.

The Magistrates and Judges Association (MJA) has given Iivula-Ithana until mid September to announce when and by how much their salaries will be increased.They vowed that should they not hear anything, ‘they will go over to action’. Alexis Diergaardt, the MJA president, confirmed this plan this week.Diergaardt did not want to comment any further.Another magistrate said: ‘We are not prepared to wait any longer.’The magistrate said that magistrates were informed during their annual retreat in November last year that they would receive a 15 per cent increase of their basic salaries and 12 per cent higher car allowances.However, nothing has happened since then.There has been no response to a request for a written notification from the minister’s office, magistrates say.The MJA represents 62 of the approximately 82 magistrates in the country.Iivula-Ithana yesterday said: ‘I am not the Minister of Finance. Where do I get the money from in the middle of the year? I cannot deal with magistrates who deal with me through the media.’According to an advertisement published on Friday, an entry-level magistrate earns at least N$271 173 per year, or N$22 597 per month. This includes a housing benefit and a car allowance.A senior magistrate, according to the same advertisement, earns at least N$347 882 per year or N$28 990 per month.

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