INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In a significant milestone for the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed current Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya as Chief
Justice of the Republic of South Africa.The appointment takes effect from September 1, 2024
2024, President Ramaphosa notified Chief Justice Raymond Zondo of his plan to appoint Deputy Chief Justice Maya as Chief Justice.This
appointment is set to take place upon the expiry of the term of office of Chief Justice Zondo on August 31, 2024.The President invited the
Judicial Service Commission to provide its views on the suitability of Justice Maya to hold the office of Chief Justice.Discharging its
consultative mandate set out in Section 174(3) of the Constitution, the Commission interviewed Justice Maya on May 21, 2024.Namibia Advances
(Photo Internet reproduction)The purpose was to ascertain her suitability for appointment as Chief Justice of the Republic.The Commission
Her leadership qualities were also emphasized, along with her experience as a judge in various courts.Additionally, her past leadership of
the Supreme Court of Appeal and her role as Deputy Chief Justice leading up to her nomination by the President were noted.The Commissioners
political parties in the suitability of the incoming Chief Justice.The incoming Chief Justice can draw inspiration and support from this
Africa.Namibia: Government to Feed Hungry Communities With 640 Wild AnimalsThe Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has donated
and 100 elands will come from five Namibian national parks.These animals will be used to make meat packs for beneficiaries of the
program.Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda revealed this to The Namibian yesterday, adding that their contribution of game meat is done
with the approval of the Cabinet.He said in these parks, where the animals will be sourced, there will be sustainable game numbers, and
there will be a limited disturbance to tourism.According to Muyunda, their conservation efforts have proven to be beneficial to citizens.The
government has budgeted N$825 million for the drought-relief program, which is expected to cater to about 172,200 households
nationwide.Meanwhile, the government is yet to get help from the international community, despite asking for N$482 million last month to
cover the shortfall needed to meet the budget set for drought relief.The overall budget for drought relief is N$1.3 billion.This comes a
month after Namibia requested help from heads of diplomatic missions and development partners.So far, the government has raised N$829
million for food assistance, livestock support, seed and horticulture provision, and water provision.Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)
only Qatar has donated something so far.Meanwhile, Popular Democratic Movement president McHenry Venaani says the government must stop being
an international beggar.Venaani says the leadership does not pivot agriculture as an activity that can catapult food security and job
program for which it would need assistance to implement.Last week, President Nangolo Mbumba met with development agencies and pleaded for
aid from the United Nations.Former ambassador Pius Dunaiski said on Tuesday that Namibia should put pressure on all its diplomatic missions
to work much harder in light of the severe consequences of the drought emergency.He said President Mbumba should request the Southern
African Development Community convene an emergency meeting with donor countries and United Nations agencies.South African teens are
A Western Cape study shows 33 percent of people have symptoms of depression.In South Africa, little research has been conducted on
depression and anxiety among younger adolescents, specifically those between the ages of 10 and 14.Existing studies have primarily focused
on older adolescents and individuals living with HIV.The age range of 10- to 14-year-olds has been neglected
This age group is important because half of all mental health problems develop before the age of 14.As mental health researchers, we
conducted a study focusing on these young adolescents in 10 schools in under-resourced areas within Cape Town and the Cape Winelands.How we
conducted the studyWorking with community-based organizations offering psychological and social support and counseling, we recruited 621
adolescents aged 10 to 14 in 10 primary schools.The criteria included adolescents who: (1) were enrolled in the selected schools in the
Western Cape province; (2) were aged 10 to 14 years; (3) provided assent; and (4) had caregivers who provided consent for their child to
participate.Using a tablet-based survey, we gathered information on sociodemographic factors, mental health symptoms, substance use,
bullying, punishment, witnessing violence at home, and self-esteem.Mental health symptoms were measured using internationally accepted
screening tools.Depression symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents, while anxiety symptoms were
evaluated with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 7.The majority of the adolescents were female (61%), and the average age was 12 years
More than half (58.6%) lived with a single parent, and 15.3% did not live with either of their parents.More than two-thirds of the
participants reported speaking two languages at home.Specifically, 402 participants (64.7%) spoke English, 321 (51.2%) spoke isiXhosa, 112
(18.0%) spoke Afrikaans, and 60 (9.7%) spoke another language.What we foundWe found that a high percentage of adolescents reported
experiencing bullying at school (80.5%), witnessing violence at home (78.6%), and being exposed to punishment by caregivers (56.4%).A
significant portion of the adolescents had tried alcohol at least once (23.8%).Depression: 33% experienced symptoms of depression such as
feeling sad or down, irritability, hopelessness, trouble sleeping, appetite changes, and difficulty concentrating.Depressive symptoms were
linked with being in a higher grade in school, alcohol consumption, the use of other drugs, and witnessing violence among adults at
home.Namibia: Government Appeals Against Same-Sex JudgementA landmark High Court judgment declared the common law crimes of sodomy and
This is after the Office of the Government Attorney filed an appeal notice with the Supreme Court at the start of this week.The notice
records that several officials are appealing against the judgment.These officials include the attorney general, the minister of justice, the
minister of home affairs, and the minister of immigration, safety, and security.Also appealing are the minister of defense and veterans
affairs, as well as the prosecutor general.They are challenging the judgment delivered by High Court judges Nate Ndauendapo, Shafimana
Ueitele, and Claudia Claasen in the Windhoek High Court on June 21.In their joint judgment, the three judges stated that the common law
This amounts to unfair discrimination and is unconstitutional, the court found.The court noted in its judgment that the definition of sodomy
criminalizes sexual conduct between men, both when it takes place with consent and in private.However, the same sexual conduct is not an
offense when it takes place between a man and a woman or between two women.It is not rational to criminalize sexual activity between men
while the same sexual act between a man and a woman is not criminalized, the court remarked.The court also stated that, in the context of
application on six grounds on which he claimed the criminalization of sexual acts involving two men is unconstitutional.According to the
five appellants, the High Court made an error by considering only one of the grounds raised by Dausab.This ground was whether the
discrimination.The notice argues that the court had a duty to decide all of the issues raised by Dausab.It should have considered all the
Supreme Court must decide all the other issues raised by Dausab.Alternatively, the Supreme Court should refer the undecided issues back to
the High Court for a decision, as stated on behalf of the appellants.The appeal notice also claims that the High Court failed to consider
the norms of Namibian society.The court allegedly failed to consider the fundamental norms, aspirations, moral standards, and social
conditions of the Namibian people.While the High Court acknowledged that sexual orientation is not included among the grounds on which the
The court made an error in that regard; it is also claimed in the notice.The appeal notice claims the court did not recognize that
distinguishing between male and female conduct constitutes differentiation, not discrimination.Laws prohibiting sexual acts between men
further a rational governmental purpose, namely upholding the sexual customs of Namibian society, as claimed on behalf of the appellants as
adding that sexual acts between men should remain a criminal offense in Namibia.Human rights activist Linda Baumann commented yesterday that
transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people.She is also apprehensive that an appeal would increase stigma and discrimination and
incite violence against people in the LGBTQI+ community, Baumann said.By trying to keep laws that criminalize homosexuality in force, the
government is declaring discrimination to be acceptable, Baumann commented.Legal Assistance Center director Toni Hancox said it was widely
of the record of the case from which the appeal emanates.This must be done at the Supreme Court within three months after the date of the
judgment against which the appeal is aimed.
