Three chief magistrates from the Central, North and South regions held a press conference on Tuesday at the Magistrates Court premises to express their displeasure with the judicial budget for the 2019/2020 financial year.
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May 3, 2019
2 min read
Senior magistrates lament meagre budget
The conference was also attended by two members of the Judicial Officers Association of Lesotho (JOALE) comprising its secretary,
Magistrate Masupha Kao and the treasurer, Resident Magistrate ’Manapo Motebele.
Addressing the media, Chief Magistrate for central region ’Matankiso Nthunya explained that the judicial budget which was M102 million for the 2018/2019 financial year had since been reduced to M99 million for 2019/2020 financial year.
She explained that the budget in 2018/2019 was already insufficient considering that it had to cover salaries that amount to over M80 million and other operational costs.
As a result, reducing the budget even further had worsened the operational crisis in the financial year 2019/2020 as the judiciary cannot
survive on M99 million.
However she urged judicial staff to continue doing their work with the little they have although it cannot cover all their needs.
Echoing the same sentiments, Chief Magistrate for north region, ’Makampong Mokgoro, said the judiciary’s independence should not only be stated but should also be seen adding that lack of funding for the judiciary simply means the judiciary cannot function properly.
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Magistrate Mokgoro explained that the problem of lack of funding for the judiciary has been dragging on for years and affecting all
courts where Messengers, Clerks and Presidents can no-longer do their work effectively due to lack of funds.
She also indicated that magistrates are faced with serious challenges that no person cares to talk about but only concentrate in labelling them as corrupt officials.
Magistrate Mokgoro further urged magistrates to support the Acting Chief Justice’s recent statement that the judiciary has no money.
The Acting Chief Justice was attacked and claims were made that there is money for the judiciary whereas there is none.
Turning to the Court of Appeal, Magistrate Mokgoro indicated that a session will be held following serious measures to draw money from, among others, the High Court budget but noted that High Court is going to suffer as a result.
Chief Magistrate for South region Manyathela Kolobe said it is sad to see that other countries’ judiciary systems have developed while Lesotho lags behind, especially in terms of remunerating staff. For instance, what Lesotho’s Chief Justice earns is at par with what junior judicial officers earn elsewhere.
He also explained that it is only in Lesotho where Principal Secretaries (PSs) are earning more money than judges of the High Court, adding he wished local judges could earn salaries equal to cabinet ministers’.
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