Former Nabta boss ordered to pay Nakathingo N.dollars 50 000

WINDHOEK, 30 JAN (NAMPA) - The Windhoek High Court has ordered former Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) secretary general, Vespa Muunda, to pay the association's current secretary general, Pendapala Nakathingo, N.dollars 50 000 for defamatory statements.
Nakathingo initially demanded N.dollars 1.5 million from Muunda, who was reportedly suspended in 2016.
Court documents reveal that Muunda, in interviews with local media outlets, said Nakathingo stole N.dollars 100 000 from the association. He further claimed that Nakathingo was causing division, mistrust, in addition to misusing his position.
Letters were also reportedly sent to the former police inspector general, Sebastian Ndeitunga as well as the Motor Vehicle Fund Head, Rosalia Martins-Hausiku.
The letters, Nakathingo said, were defamatory. They were also sent to various cabinet ministers, including Frans Kapofi. The defamatory claims were made in 2017.
Reacting to the high court ruling on Thursday, Nakathingo told Nampa he is happy with the ruling, which also includes an order compelling Muunda to issue a written public apology to him.
“I indicated from the first day that I am not interested in money. I told him to apologise publicly, but he refused. I lost a lot of projects and businesses. My reputation was seriously damaged. I could not even properly do my work. The entire public transport sector is in a mess today because of all of this. They called me a crook and a thief and made it believable,” Nakathingo said in an interview.
Presiding Collins Parker found that the initial N.dollars 1.5 million sought by Nakathingo was excessive.
(NAMPA)
EB/AS/EK