Africa-Press – Lesotho. Justice Khabo was the President of the Labour Court while Advocate Mathaba was the chief legal officer at the Water and Sewerage Company. The two were part of five candidates who were interviewed in public last month.
A sixth candidate who had been shortlisted pulled out at the last minute. Justice Khabo leaves her position as the president of the Labour Court where she served for about six years.
The number of High Court judges had reduced from 12 to seven after the death of Justice Lebohang Molete and Justice Lisebo Chaka-Makhooane and Justice Thamsanqa Nomncqongo and the retirement of Justice Semapo Peete and Justice Teboho Moiloa.
The High Court and Court of Appeal registrar Advocate ’Mathato Sekoai said the two judges will hit the ground running as there are a lot of cases pending.
Advocate Sekoai however cautioned that the High Court still needs more judges. “We still need more judges who will work in Tšifa-li-Mali High Court and the vacancies will be posted,” Sekoai said.
The court in Tšifa-li-Mali is meant to serve the Mokhotlong, Butha-Buthe, Leribe and Berea districts. Advocate Sekoai said Justice Mathaba will be working at the Commercial Court which has been largely inactive since the death of its two judges.
Justice Khabo will be in the High Court. The Commercial Court is a division of the High Court. “This is not the end, we are yet to advertise for more judges to join as the total number of judges in this country is now only nine,” she said.
There is also a plan to build another high court in Mohale’s Hoek to serve the northern districts of Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Quthing and Qacha’s Nek. The two judges impressed the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) during their open interview hosted at the ’Manthabiseng Convention Centre last month.
In that interview, Justice Mathaba explained that if ever he was to be appointed he would never be intimidated, especially by politicians, or breach his oath of office.
“I have had offers of bribery, threats and intimidations from prominent people, but since I know my job, that did not stop me from doing my duties,” he said.
“I cannot say there are challenges in an oath, politicians have their way to tarnish the judiciary, people fear to lose their jobs and end up accepting bribes but I do not believe in that because an oath is an oath and it should be obeyed.
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He however said there are possible challenges that a judge may face.
“Being under pressure as there might be high profile cases that a judge has to handle and if the judge is not fit, he may hear pressure from the public and end up doing things their way,” he said.
He said even the shortage of resources may put a judge under undue pressure to favour the paymaster. Justice Khabo, in her interview, explained that judges should not take a long time to deliver judgments as justice delayed is justice denied.
She however said politicians have ruined the image of the judiciary as they are very influential and sometimes bribe judges to deliver favourable rulings. She said every judge should stick to his or her oath regardless of the influence or challenge they face.
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