Judiciary gets new administrator
’MATHATO SEBOKA
MASERU – ‘Mareithabetse Seteng has been appointed as the new Judicial Administrator. Although there is a new appointment made recently, traditionally the judiciary has never hired a judicial administrator, despite the Administration of the Judiciary Act of 2011 plainly requiring that a judicial administrator be responsible for the day to day running of the key sector’s non-adjudicative work and implementing resolutions of the judiciary and the Judicial Services Commission.
Experts previously warned that the continued absence of a substantive judicial administrator was compromising judicial services and ultimately slowing down the wheels of justice delivery.
According to the Administration of the Judiciary Act of 2011, a person shall not be appointed Judicial Administrator unless the person holds qualifications, or has extensive experience, in public administration or service of the judiciary or holds one of the professional qualifications stipulated under the Legal Practitioners Act 1983 qualifying a person to be admitted as a legal practitioner in Lesotho.
Such a person shall be responsible be responsible for the day-to-day administration of non-adjudicative work of the judiciary and for the implementation of the resolutions of the judiciary and of the Commission and be responsible for preparation of the budget for the judiciary and for keeping proper books of accounts and other records.
The Registrar of the High Court and Appeal Court was by default the Judiciary’s Chief Accounting Officer, who effectively administered the day-to-day operations of the court in the absence of a Judicial Administrator.
However, there had been concerns that when administrative functions in the judiciary are not executed by individuals trained for administration and management or qualified for the job, there could be far reaching consequences.
The judiciary has for years not been receiving adequate funding, according to different heads of institutions that raised concerns in the past.
During an official opening of the 2024 legal year, Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane also complained about the lack of funding for the Judiciary which ultimately affected staff recruitment.
“The Judiciary has not been allocated a capital budget for several years and the result is that court buildings are not being maintained,” Sakoane said at the time.
Apart from the High Court buildings and infrastructure that received no maintenance for years, some Magistrate Courts and other lower courts in the districts around the country are either completely dysfunctional or on the brick of collapse due to years of continued underfunding or financial neglect by the government.
In the near past judicial officers have struggled for basic things such as stationery and at times work on dilapidated furniture. There is hope however with the hiring Judiciary Administrator.
