Namibia: Ruling party newspaper sued for defamation

26 Aug 2009

WINDHOEK: The executive director of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Phil ya Nangoloh, threatened to sue the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation's (SWAPO) mouthpiece, Namibia Today, for N$250,000 (US$31,250) in defamation after the paper called him a “pathological liar”.

In September 2008 the NSHR claimed it had found several mass graves a few kilometres north of the Namibian border in southern Angola and that Namibian and Angolan nationals had been buried there between 1999 and 2002. This prompted Namibia Today to write that ya Nangoloh had “violated” graves in Angola, brought bones into Namibia and was in possession of such bones. The newspaper reportedly claimed that the NSHR head was possessed by demons from the graves he dug open in Angola last year.

According to a report by the Namibian newspaper of 25 August 2009, ya Nangoloh's lawyers, Koep and Partners, said Namibia Today must pay their client N$250,000 (US$31,250) and also publish a public apology. The lawyers insisted the paper referred to their clients as a “noted twister of facts and pathological liar” as well as “a confirmed notorious and pathological liar”. They gave the newspaper 14 days to apologise and make the payment, failure of which will result in civil action. The SWAPO Party is the first respondent in the case, followed by NamPrint and Namibia Today as the third respondent. However, Namibia Today has not yet responded to the demand.

Meanwhile the human rights group claimed that the people buried there were rebels and supporters of the Angolan UNITA rebel movement who were “hunted” by soldiers of the Namibian and Angolan armies. The NSHR claimed the people were accused of collaborating with UNITA and the Caprivi secessionist group.

Source: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)