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Article 144 NC declares the general rules of public international law and international agreements binding upon Namibia, part of Namibian law. Thus the strong commitment to human rights is emphasised by the fact that Namibia has ratified a large number of human rights treaties which are directly applicable into the Namibian legal system (Horn: 2008).
h.2 III. Conclusion
Namibia has a strong rule of law basis in its Constitution. In practice, the separation of powers works reasonably well with respect to the judiciary. However, problems lie in the powers of government and in the functioning of the administration. As an overall appraisal of the status of the rule of law, more optimistic views still predominate which appreciate what could be achieved in the relatively short period of 20 years since the nation was founded and the fact that Namibia is doing relatively well in the regional context of Sub-Sahara or Southern Africa. Conversely, there are more sceptical views which point out the unity between state, government and ruling party and argue that the realisation of the rule of law remains a distant ideal for Namibia (Diescho 2009: 98 f., 107). Whichever interpretation is correct, it is obvious that there is still a long way to go to give the constitutional rule of law requirement its full meaning.
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Bibliography(All onlince resource last checked on 3.6.2011.) Sam K. Amoo / Isabella Skeffers (2008): The rule of law in Namibia, in: Horn/ Bösl (eds.), Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Namibia, 17. Sufian Hemed Bukurara (2002): Essays on Constitutionalism and the Administration of Justice in Namibia 1990-2002. George Coleman/ Esi Schimming-Chase (2010): Constitutional jurisprudence in Namibia since Independence, in: Bösl/ Horn/ du Pisani (eds.), Constitutional democracy in Namibia: A critical analysis after two decades, 199. Joe Diescho (2009): Namibia, in: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (ed.), Demokratie und Rechtsstaatsförderung in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit www.kas.de/wf/de/33.15679 (all onlince resource last checked on 3. 6.2011). Manfred O. Hinz (1991/92): Die Verfassung Namibias (1990): Entwicklung, Hintergrund und Kontext, in: Jahrbuch des öffentlichen Rechts der Gegenwart N.F. 40, 653. Manfred O. Hinz (2008): Traditional Governance and African customary law: Comparative observations from a Namibian perspective, in: Horn/ Bösl (eds.), Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Namibia, 59. Manfred O. Hinz (2009): More administrative justice in Namibia? A comment on the initiative to reform administrative law by statutory enactment, Namibia Law Journal 1, 81. Manfred O. Hinz (2010): Traditional courts in Namibia – Part of the judiciary? Jurisprudential challenges of traditional justice, in: Hinz (ed.), In Search of Justice and Peace: Traditional and Informal Justice Systems in Africa, 93. Nico Horn (2008): International human rights norms and standards: The development of Namibian case and statutory law, in: Horn/ Bösl (eds.), Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Namibia, 141. Stylianos-Ioannis G. Koutnatzis (2011): Verfassungsvergleichende Überlegungen zur Rezeption des Grundsatzes der Verhältnismäßigkeit in Übersee, Verfassung und Recht in Übersee 44, 32. National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) (2004): Concern over judicial independence & integrity www.namweb.net/content/concern-over-judicial-independence- integrity. Katharina G. Ruppel-Schlichting (2008): The independence of the Ombudsman in Namibia, in: Horn/ Bösl (eds.), The Independence of the Judiciary in Namibia, 271. Norman Tjombe (2010): Appointing acting judges to the Namibia bench: A useful system or a threat to the independence of the judiciary, in: Horn/ Bösl (eds.): The Independence of the Judiciary in Namibia, 2008. Peter VonDoepp (2006): Politics and Judicial Decision Making in Namibia: Separate or Connected Realms?, Institute for Public Policy Research Briefing Paper No. 39. Marinus Wiechers (2010): The Namibian Constitution: Reconciling legality and legitimacy, in: Bösl/ Horn/ du Pisani (eds.), Constitutional democracy in Namibia: A critical analysis after two decades, 45. Further ReadingAnton Bösl/ Nico Horn/ André du Pisani (eds.) (2010): Constitutional democracy in Namibia: A critical analysis after two decades. Geraldine Mwanza Geraldo/ Isabella Skeffers (2007): Researching Namibian Law and the Namibian Legal System. Manfred O. Hinz/ Sam K. Amoo/ Dawid van Wyk (2002): The Constitution at Work: 10 years of Namibian nationhood. Manfred O. Hinz (ed.) (2010): In Search of Justice and Peace: Traditional and Informal Justice Systems in Africa. Nico Horn/ Anton Bösl (eds.) (2008): Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Namibia. Nico Horn/ Anton Bösl (eds.) (2008): The Independence of the Judiciary in Namibia. Christiaan Keulder (ed.) (2000, reprint 2010): State, Society and Democracy, A Reader in Namibian Politics. |
