The Mavinga Palace of Justice - built to serve, for 50 years, the nearby municipalities of the region - was inaugurated in 2014. For seven years, the infrastructure has been closed and abandoned, showing various signs of degradation.
According to DW Africa, this situation has not pleased the province's residents, who are calling on the authorities to intervene quickly.
"It's an investment that was made, and the money came out of the state's coffer," said teacher João Pedro Samba, a resident of Menongue, in statements to DW Africa.
But Brás Wassuca, a university student and JURA municipal secretary of Menongue, said that the municipality's choice to build the infrastructure was not the best: "The first mistake was to build such a gigantic structure in Mavinga.
The student explained that the necessary conditions for the building to become operational were not in place.
"Today we see that in a palace, which cost a lot of money, we don't find magistrates but oxen. If it's like this outside, I don't know how it will be inside," he said, quoted by DW Africa.
Elias Mavoca Madalena Chingongo, an economist, shares the same view. He questions how a building like that is going to work "while there are no roads between the headquarters municipality [Menongue] and the municipality of Mavinga.
He also says that there was a lack of feasibility analysis before going ahead with the project.
Jones Paulo, judge and president of the Cuando Cubango court, corroborates Elias Chingongo's thesis. According to the judge, the building was built, "without consulting the local justice bodies, especially the court.
"Among other difficulties that this province has, there is a lack of communication routes. This means that there is no circulation of people and goods and consequently no development.
The governor of Cuando Cubango, Julio Marcelino Viera Bessa, said that the building has not been abandoned and explained that "what is not happening is that it is not being occupied by the magistrates.
"The big Achilles heel is demining. If the road between Cuito Cuanavale-Mavinga is not cleared of mines, we will continue to see situations of this type," he said.
