Windhoek High Court acting judge Collins Parker yesterday ruled that the social media posts Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda made in 2021 about deputy finance minister Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, are defamatory.

Parker found that a post Amupanda placed on his social media account of an unknown woman clothed in jeans and a white t-shirt, accompanied by a caption that read “It looks like deputy minister of finance Maureen Hinda during the liberation struggle. Maureen was soo WizWiz. It’s like she won’t think twice about taking a knife out!,” was defamatory of Hinda-Mbuende. 

He ordered the youthful presidential candidate to pay Hinda-Mbuende
N$100 000 in damages, and to pay her costs in the application. Hinda-Mbuende initially claimed N$1 million in damages.

In the suit, she claimed Amupanda’s social media post on 28 July 2021 was defamatory, and caused damage to her reputation. 

While the judge found that the words accompanying the picture were not defamatory, he did find the picture exposed Hinda-Mbuende to ridicule. The publication was wrongful and
intentional, defamed her, and was not in the public interest. With regards to claims of further posts by Amupanda depicting her as a ‘cougar’ who wanted to buy sex from the activist, and that she is a vindictive woman who is suing him because he rejected her advances, the judge found that such posts were defamatory. 

Even more aggravating, Judge Parker said, no apology has been forthcoming from the defendant, who squandered all opportunities that were available to him to apologise to the plaintiff. He further said Hinda-Mbuende is a public figure, whose reputation is important to
her. 

“The plaintiff was at the relevant time and still is the deputy minister of finance, and I daresay her assignments include interacting with colleagues inside and outside Namibia. On that account, no reasonable person can deny that the plaintiff’s reputation must be important, as she serves the interests of Namibia and Namibians in Namibia and outside Namibia,” the judge remarked. 

Hinda-Mbuende was represented by Doris Hans-Kaumbi, and Amupanda by Kadhila Amoomo.

-rrouth@nepc.com.na