In order to restore his dignity, Mr Simon Kondjashili, well-known as Mapeni Protocol, had a talk with his lawyers concerning the article published in The Namibian newspaper in which it was alleged that he had been suspended from his work after it was found out that he and a colleague had been abusing a fuel card of their employer.
Kondjashili, who works for NBC’s Kati FM in Oshakati, has through his lawyer written a letter to the journalist, Mr Eliaser Ndeyanale, who wrote the story published in the daily on 22 July 2022, asking that The Namibian publish a retraction and an apology to Mr Kondjashili within seven days.
The article headlined “Kati FM employees suspended for allegedly misusing fuel card” quoted Kondjashili as saying that he was unaware of the allegations, and that he was only on leave.
“Our instructions are that you have made defamatory and false statements about our client, which statements were recently published in the daily newspaper at which you are employed,” said the letter from Tsamaseb and Associates, dated 28 July 2022.
“We are further instructed that the statement was as follows ‘Two employees from the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) Kati FM have been suspended for allegedly using the company fuel card to sell fuel to an undisclosed number of motorists in the central-north of the country’”.
Tsamaseb and Associates said further in the letter that the article stated that Kondjashili was one of the said employees.
“Our instructions are that your statement is willfully misleading and without any merit because the charges leveled against our client did not mention the sale of fuel by him to any person nor did they suggest same.
“The statement made against our client was on your part reckless and highly defamatory and has caused our client great suffering from trolls on various social media platforms, as well as caused him character and reputational harm.
“It is on this premise that we are instructed to request as we hereby do that you cease and desist from making any and all false and defamatory statements against our client.
“Further, that you within seven (7) days of receiving this letter publish a retraction and notify the writer hereof, failing which we hold instructions to take appropriate legal action against you and your employer in order to seek all available damages and remedies,” Tsamaseb and Associates said.
Ndeyanale did not pick up calls nor reply to a text message sent to him by Omutumwa.
In the photo: Simon ‘Mapeni Protocol’ Kondjashili.
