Also known as: High Court · court · the court · Namibia's High Court · Namibia High Court · Namibia's courts · Margaret Court · the High Court · Swakopmund Regional Court
Court venue in Windhoek where major criminal, civil, and commercial cases are tried and appealed.
Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen acquitted Adam Isaack of murdering Eldin Fransman in 2019, finding the State's case rife with contradictions and unreliable witness testimony, with no eyewitnesses or forensic evidence linking him to the fatal stabbing. The judge noted that another State witness, Beneg Jossop, who owned the knife used in the killing, had provided inconsistent accounts of his location during the incident.
Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen acquitted Adam Isaack of murdering Eldin Fransman in 2019, finding the State's case rife with contradictions and unreliable witness testimony, with no eyewitnesses or forensic evidence linking him to the fatal stabbing. The judge noted that another State witness, Beneg Jossop, who owned the knife used in the killing, had provided inconsistent accounts of his location during the incident.
Three accused in the Fishrot fraud case—former attorney general Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, and Pius Mwatelulo—lost their Supreme Court appeal against an assets restraint order imposed under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. The court upheld the High Court's 2023 confirmation of the restraint, which freezes assets including bank funds, property, vehicles, and luxury goods belonging to six of the accused, and ordered the three appellants to pay the prosecutor general's legal costs.
Government-appointed curators tasked with seizing assets linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal face legal hurdles and institutional delays in accessing foreign properties owned by suspects, with a February 2025 court order needed to extend seizure powers abroad. The curators report ongoing obstacles including uncooperative banks, missed meetings with defendants, and slow responses from financial institutions, hampering their efforts to catalogue and recover assets valued at over N$317 million.
The Windhoek High Court has sentenced Iuze Mukube John Kangumbe Mutirua, 24, to two life terms for murdering Meno Tjizera in 2020 and Albertus Maasdorp in 2023. Acting Judge Makapa Simasiku found that Mutirua's escalating criminal history, lack of remorse, and violent propensity pose a serious ongoing danger to society, warranting a sentence of 44 years to be served concurrently across multiple convictions including attempted murder, robbery, rape, and obstructing justice.
John Mutirua (24) was convicted on nine charges including the rape of a nine-year-old girl in 2018 and two murders committed in 2020 and 2023, and sentenced to two concurrent life terms in Windhoek High Court. The judge noted Mutirua's criminal escalation, lack of remorse, and volatile nature pose an ongoing danger to the community.
Medical experts and legal analysts warn that Namibia lacks laws regulating surrogacy, creating risks of exploitation and trafficking, following a fraudulent advertisement offering N$800,000 to surrogates. While South Africa and Botswana have experience with regulated or unregulated surrogacy arrangements, Namibia's legal framework remains silent on the matter, leaving parties with no legal protection and prompting calls for amendments to the Child Care and Protection Act.
Acting judge Makapa Simasiku has sentenced 24-year-old John Mutirua to life imprisonment for two murders, two counts of rape, and five other charges committed in Gobabis. Mutirua was convicted of murdering Meno Tjizera in 2020 and Albertus Maasdorp in 2023, as well as raping a nine-year-old girl in 2018.
Windhoek High Court judges found that a magistrate misdirected himself in refusing bail to six individuals accused in a purported N$400 million fraud at Namcor, citing selective assessment of evidence and failure to consider individualised circumstances and mitigating bail conditions. The six appellants—Peter and Malakia Elindi, Immanuel Mulunga, Olivia Dunaiski, Leo Nandago, and Jennifer Hamukwaya—were granted bail ranging from N$20,000 to N$50,000, subject to travel restrictions and regular reporting requirements.
Iuze Mukube Piet Ritief Gamaseb (48) is set to stand trial from May 2026 for the alleged murder of his common-law wife Davie Bokkie Hannes in Outjo on 12 March 2022. He faces charges of murder and defeating the course of justice; the state alleges he struck her with an iron bar following an argument and then transported her body to her mother's house.
Johan Paru Morkel's trial is scheduled for April–June 2026 on charges including seven counts of rape and three counts of trafficking in children. Morkel is accused of luring young girls to his house under the pretext of applying gold to their teeth and then sexually assaulting them.