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RoshSkor wants councillor to apologise for remarks

ROSHSKOR town management is demanding an apology from Oranjemund regional constituency councillor Lazarus Nangolo for allegedly defaming the company’s manager and its associates.

RoshSkor is owned by Skorpion Zinc, and the Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation mine administers the Rosh Pinah settlement.

In a letter dated 12 August, of which The Namibian has seen a copy, RoshSkor manager Ronnie Slabbert threatened Nangolo and said a meeting scheduled for yesterday and today to discuss the proclamation of the mining settlement will be held in his absence, unless he apologises and today retracts the defamatory comments he allegedly levelled against him, the company, the Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation’s general manager Christo Aspeling and the Namibia Catering and Contracts Management (Pty) Ltd manager Glenn Schluter.

Furthermore, Slabbert warned that the RoshSkor township is entitled to seek monetary damages and relief for defamation if the politician fails to comply with the request for an apology within the given period.

“In an event that you fail to meet this demand, please be advised that RoshSkor township will pursue all available legal remedies, including seeking monetary damages, injunctive relief, and an order that you pay court costs and attorney’s fees. Your liability and exposure under such legal action could be considerable,” the town manager stressed.

According to Slabbert, the regional councillor accused RoshSkor of overcharging for municipal services it provides to the Tutungeni informal settlement for the gratification of its staff and directors.

This, he added, borders on corruption allegations against the company, its staff and directors in that they are enriching themselves at the expense of the informal settlers.

Moreover, Slabbert accused Nangolo of racial slander, claiming that he had alleged that he, Aspeling and Schluter have taken control of Rosh Pinah, and have used their allies to engage in practices of questionable legality.

“He aired these comments with an extreme prejudice and racial undertone by explicitly referring to our skin colour and ethnicity,” the town manager alleged.

Nangolo allegedly also claimed that they are deliberately preventing the proclamation of Rosh Pinah as a town for their personal benefit, and called on the local community to “topple” them since the town is in the hands of a “white minority”, who are apparently exploiting locals with the high municipal tariffs.

It is alleged that the politician made the defamatory and slanderous racial remarks at public platforms on 19 April and 7 August this year.

Slabbert claimed that Nangolo’s actions have provoked the community, and instilled distrust and animosity in them towards the RoskSkor staff.

Because of this, he added, the staff are fearful of public appearances, and thereby potentially risking bodily harm by angry community members.

“This has affected our service provision and potential income of our service personnel,” Slabbert stated, adding that Nangolo’s behaviour has damaged the high hopes of a prosperous working relationship for the sake of development the company has expressed when he took over the regional councillor seat last year December.

“Your behaviour has led to an evaporation of the aspirations and hopes, to our disappointment,” Slabbert remarked.

Nangolo yesterday denied the defamation and slander claims, and refused to offer an apology.

He admitted that the issue of high tariffs levied by the town management company was raised at meetings he had convened with the community, claiming these comments were uttered by the people during the gatherings.

“I do not see the need to apologise for what was referred to at a public meeting,” he retorted. Nangolo said he sees threats by RoskSkor to discuss the proclamation of the town in his absence as a move delaying the upgrading of the mining settlement to town status.

“I am representing the community; therefore, there is no logic to exclude me from that meeting,” he added.

On threats of the civil lawsuit, the regional councillor remarked: “Unfortunately, I cannot stop them instituting a lawsuit against me”.

Nangolo claimed people’s thoughts of him being “radical” in addressing issues affecting the community has unlocked the legal threats.

“I am not a radical nor a tribalist. I am here to address concerns which the public raise with me as their representative,” he added.

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