Peter Shivute

Early life and education

Shivute was born in Ovamboland in northern Namibia. At the age of 16 he went into exile, continuing his secondary school education in Zambia.

While still in Zambia he received a Diploma in Legal Studies with distinction in 1986. He left Zambia for the United Kingdom where he obtained an LL.B (Honors) from Trinity Hall College, University of Cambridge in 1991. After working in now independent Namibia for four years he returned to the UK to complete the LL.M from University of Warwick in 1996. Shivute further holds a Diploma in Development Studies and Management.

Legal career

Peter Shivute was appointed magistrate in the Judicial Service of the Republic of Zambia in 1987, barely 24 years old. On his return from exile he served as magistrate in the Namibian Judiciary from 1991 to 2000, as Judge, later Judge President, of the High Court.

On 1 December 2004 Shivute was appointed Chief Justice of Namibia, the highest judge that heads the Supreme Court. He is the fourth Namibian Chief Justice, succeeding Johan Strydom who retired in 2003. He further is the chairman of the Judicial Service Commission and the Board of Legal Education. In 2002, he chaired the Third Delimitation Commission of Namibia, a body that infrequently decides on the administrative division of the country.

Shivute frequently publishes on politics, human rights, and the law in Namibia. He is married to Naomi Shivute.