Windhoek – The young man, whose car was bumped in the rear at a local service station in an incident that was laced with racially sensitive insults, has received N$58 000 compensation for the damages incurred in the accident that left his vehicle a write-off after the two parties settled out of court.
The incident happened a week ago when Faizel Nickel rammed his pick-up truck into the back of the sedan of Christopher Itana Tulonga at a service station in town.
Tulonga, 24, told New Era yesterday that he received the N$58 000 last Friday – the amount he spent on the second-hand vehicle, which he bought in Botswana.
Tulonga, who opened a case against Nickel, withdrew the case after the two agreed that the accused would compensate him.
Initially, a case of malicious damage to property was opened against Nickel, while a case of racial discrimination was opened against a female passenger who was in the vehicle with Nickel.
Last week, Tulonga said the investigator asked him to make quotations indicating the amount it would cost to repair the vehicle. However, after visiting two garages, he was told the vehicle is a writ-off due to the extent of the damages.
Although Nickel asked to be given a week to pay the N$58 000, Tulonga gave him until Friday midday, failure which would result in the case proceeding in court.
Tulonga explained that he and his two cousins had put money together to buy the vehicle and make it a taxi to generate an income.
Nickel yesterday confirmed that he settled the amount and that the case is closed. Nickel is keeping the damaged vehicle. He told New Era he is fixing the car with the intention of re-selling it. Nickel further revealed, he is consulting his lawyer regarding the footage that went viral after it was uploaded on social media.
A short CCTV clip, which went viral on social media, showed a white sedan coming to a standstill at Wika Service Station along Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue, in the capital, with the white pick-up driving just behind it.
The driver of the sedan is seen climbing out and going around the vehicle and opening the passenger door to seemingly grab something.
The driver of the while pick-up reversed slightly while his female companion stepped out of the vehicle. The pick-up is then seen aggressively bumping into the stationary sedan from behind, leaving it damaged. The female passenger could also be seen pointing fingers at the sedan driver, before jumping into the pick-up truck, which then sped off.