Scathing attack adds to Lesotho judiciary's woes

Ongoing shortages of judges and resources in Lesotho’s third arm of government have reached desperate levels, made worse by the recent death of yet another judge in office, Thamsanqa Nomncongo. Thousands of cases are said to be piled up, waiting for hearings, but there are no funds even for a check to establish the exact numbers. The South African top prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams, due to lead the prosecution in a high-profile murder trial, has pulled out over his non-payment. And, to top it all, a brutal skirmish between the country’s top lawyers has exposed deep flaws and divisions even among this part of the legal profession. Carmel Rickard, in her A Matter of Justice column on the Legalbrief site, looks at the dispute that has boiled over among members of the Law Society of Lesotho and a speech by its president, read at the memorial service for Nomncongo.