Also known as: deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb · judge president Petrus Damaseb · High Court Judge-President Petrus Damaseb · Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb
Petrus Damaseb — Judge President and Deputy Chief Justice, nominated to Tanzania's post-election violence inquiry commission.
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The Namibian
Deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb received congratulations for leadership and administrative stewardship of the judicial system
“I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt congratulations to chief justice Peter Shivute and deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb for their leadership, foresight, and administrative stewardship of our judicial system.”
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the Opening of the 2026 Legal YearThe Namibian
Deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb heard the appeal
“The appeal on which the judgement was delivered yesterday was heard by chief justice Peter Shivute, deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb and acting judge of appeal Theo Frank.”
Supreme Court slams NaCC for unlawful delegation in PSN pharmacy price‑fixing sagaThe Namibian
Petrus Damaseb is exempt from paying land tax
“This includes opposition leader McHenry Venaani, deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb and the Roman Catholic Church.”
Politicians, business people exempted from land taxThe Namibian
judge president Petrus Damaseb is judge president.
“Newly appointed Zimbabwean judge Moses Chinhengo, the lead judge for the Fishrot case, and judge president Petrus Damaseb should seize the moment and use the Fishrot trial as a case study to educate the public on how the judiciary works.”
The Injustice of Selective JusticeThe Namibian
High Court judge president Petrus Damaseb said in a judgement heavy prison terms under Combating of Rape Act remain part of law until declared unconstitutional
“The heavy prison terms that the Combating of Rape Act prescribes for repeat rapists remain part of the law in Namibia until declared unconstitutional, High Court judge president Petrus Damaseb has said in a judgement on a prison inmate's attempt to appeal against a 45-year jail term that he received in 2006.”
Heavy jail terms for rape stay part of lawThe Namibian
Petrus Damaseb dismissed application by Gerhardus Bezuidenhout for leave to appeal against 45-year jail term
“Damaseb dismissed the application for leave to appeal.”
Heavy jail terms for rape stay part of lawThe Namibian
Judge president Petrus Damaseb sentenced Sydney Ikosa to 20 years' imprisonment for murdering his two-year-old daughter
“These were the remarks of judge president Petrus Damaseb in the High Court sitting at Katima Mulilo on Friday, when he sentenced Sydney Ikosa (37) to 20 years' imprisonment for murdering his two-year-old daughter Joy Ikosa in June 2020.”
Ex-cop who murdered daughter (2) jailed for 20 yearsThe Namibian
Judge president Petrus Damaseb convicted Kandjimi Haingura of murder
“Judge president Petrus Damaseb convicted Kandjimi Haingura of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, after concluding that an assault which Haingura carried out on his aunt at Gcigco, a village in Kavango West, on 12 June 2020 caused her death, that he was indifferent whether the assault would cause her death, and that he intended to bring about her death.”
Kavango man guilty of murdering auntThe Namibian
Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb found no substantial and compelling circumstances warranted departure from 15-year minimum sentences
“There were no substantial and compelling circumstances present in the case of Sem Shafoishuna Haufiku that warranted a departure from prison terms of 15 years prescribed by the Combating of Rape Act on each of the two rape charges on which Haufiku was found guilty, deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb found in an appeal judgement delivered in the Supreme Court on Friday.”
Omusati rapist gets extra time in prisonThe Supreme Court refused a petition to hear an appeal by driver Jandré Dippenaar against his murder convictions and 15-year prison sentence for a fatal collision near Henties Bay in December 2014 that killed six people. The conviction was Namibia's first murder prosecution for a road accident rather than culpable homicide.
28 September 2026 · The Namibian →
The Supreme Court refused a petition to hear an appeal by driver Jandré Dippenaar against his murder convictions and 15-year prison sentence for a fatal collision near Henties Bay in December 2014 that killed six people. The conviction was Namibia's first murder prosecution for a road accident rather than culpable homicide.
28 September 2026 · The Namibian →
The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the Central Procurement Board and Ministry of Education, upholding a High Court decision that set aside a multimillion-dollar tender for supplying food to government school hostels. The court found the procurement process unlawful because the board continued proceedings after the 180-day bid validity period had expired.
6 September 2026 · The Namibian →
The Supreme Court upheld a High Court judgment canceling a multimillion-dollar school hostel food supply tender for government schools across Namibia's 14 regions after the Central Procurement Board and Ministry of Education appealed the decision. The tender was found to have irregularities, including the exclusion of a bidder for failing to provide an English translation of an Afrikaans-language supporting document.
4 September 2026 · Informanté →
Political parties have called on deputy chief justice and judge president Petrus Damaseb to reject his nomination to serve on Tanzania's post-election violence commission of inquiry. Job Amupanda and the Independent Patriots for Change cite concerns over the process, Namibia's silence on alleged human rights abuses, and international criticism of previous Tanzanian inquiries, arguing that Damaseb's participation could lend credibility to a commission of uncertain independence.
8 August 2026 · The Namibian →
The Affirmative Repositioning movement has criticised the Namibian government's decision to nominate Judge President and Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb to serve on a Tanzanian Presidential Commission of Inquiry into violence following Tanzania's October 2025 general election. AR accuses the authorities of compromising judicial independence and enabling a political whitewash of alleged human rights abuses.
6 August 2026 · Informanté →
Opposition parties AR and IPC have accused the Namibian government of compromising judicial independence by nominating deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb to serve on a Tanzanian Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating post-election violence. AR contends the nomination was a political act facilitated through government channels rather than proper judicial cooperation.
6 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia's Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb has been nominated to serve on a Tanzanian presidential commission of inquiry investigating violence that followed Tanzania's October 2025 general elections, following a request from Tanzanian authorities for a Namibian High Court judge to join the commission.
5 August 2026 · The Namibian →
Petrus Damaseb, Namibia's deputy chief justice, has been nominated to serve on a Tanzanian presidential commission of inquiry investigating post-election violence following Tanzania's 2025 general elections. The Judicial Service Commission said Damaseb's judicial and administrative experience made him suitable for the sensitive role, and arrangements will be made to ensure his Namibian judicial duties continue without disruption.
5 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The Bank of Namibia won a Supreme Court appeal upholding its decision to forfeit more than N$40 million in a Nedbank Namibia account belonging to retired Democratic Republic of Congo general François Olenga to the state, reversing a High Court decision from June last year that had set aside the forfeiture.
9 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The Dissolution of Marriages Act of 2024, which came into effect on 3 June, abolished the old fault-based system and now allows divorce on a single ground: irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Spouses no longer need to prove adultery, cruelty, malicious desertion, mental illness or habitual criminality.
14 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Traditional leaders have responded to Namibia's new Dissolution of Marriages Act 2024, which replaced the fault-based divorce system with a no-fault regime based on irretrievable breakdown and came into operation on 3 June. Ondonga Traditional Authority spokesperson Frans Enkali says customary authorities traditionally did not focus on blame in marriage endings and already distinguished between jointly acquired assets and inherited property, practices that align with the law's aims to move away from adversarial proceedings.
10 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia's new Dissolution of Marriages Act, 2024, which came into effect on 3 June 2026, replaces fault-based divorce with a single ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage. Courts may now consider factors including lack of companionship, emotional estrangement, and communication breakdown, rather than infidelity alone, though a divorce will not be granted automatically.
4 June 2026 · Informanté →
The Dissolution of Marriages Act of 2024, in effect today, replaces Namibia's fault-based divorce system with a no-fault framework based on the irretrievable breakdown of marriage, eliminating adultery and other matrimonial offences as grounds for divorce. Judge President Petrus Damaseb described the reform as "one of the most significant reforms in the history of Namibia's family law system," noting that the new emphasis is on whether the marriage has disintegrated beyond realistic restoration rather than identifying moral blame.
3 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia's Dissolution of Marriages Act 2024 took effect on 3 June 2026, replacing fault-based divorce grounds (adultery, cruelty, desertion) with a single ground of "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage." The reform also empowers Magistrate Courts to grant divorces for the first time, and seeks to reduce hostility and simplify procedures.
3 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The Supreme Court of Namibia ruled that the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia did not meet the legal standard to claim "wasted costs" in a dispute linked to the veterinary cordon fence. The court found that the Board's claim that changes to court papers caused it to incur unnecessary legal costs did not meet the threshold for wasted costs.
5 May 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Judge president Petrus Damaseb praised retiring High Court and Supreme Court registrar Elsie Schickerling, who has served in the role for 17 years, for introducing judicial case management, court-connected mediation, electronic case filing, and overseeing the establishment of the High Court's northern division and building renovations. Schickerling is retiring from public service at the end of April.
28 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Former information and communication technology minister Peya Mushelenga will be sworn into the National Assembly on Friday to fill the parliamentary vacancy left by James Uerikua's death, according to NA spokesperson Sakeus Kadhikwa.
23 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Former NFA administrator Barry Rukoro credits the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup, launched in 2001, with identifying and nurturing talent that led to Namibia's 2015 Cosafa Cup win and subsequent international tournament qualifications. The partnership also transformed the NFA's commercial fortunes and spurred national football infrastructure development.
2 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Gladice Pickering was sworn in as an Acting Judge of the High Court on Monday, serving from 16 March to 30 June 2026. Her appointment requires temporary replacement in her role as executive director at the Office of the Prime Minister, with Shivute Indongo taking over the position.
18 March 2026 · New Era →
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah addressed the Supreme Court on the opening of the 2026 legal year, emphasising the constitutional independence of the judiciary, its role in democratic governance, and the need to address challenges including case backlogs, judicial security concerns, and rising crime affecting the tourism sector.
11 February 2026 · The Namibian →
The Supreme Court has found that the Namibian Competition Commission acted unlawfully by delegating its authority to investigate alleged price-fixing in the pharmaceutical sector to its secretary rather than exercising that power itself. The court has referred the matter back to the commission to determine whether to continue the investigation against the Pharmaceutical Society of Namibia and pharmacies accused of imposing a uniform 50% mark-up on prescription medicines.
23 January 2026 · The Namibian →