What about my rights? asks sacked NSHR monitor

By: TANGENI AMUPADHI

A DISMISSED human rights worker is taking the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) to court for unfair dismissal and denying him freedom of speech.

Mathias Munango, who was employed as a "human rights monitor" in

Kavango, said he was fired in September without a disciplinary

hearing and that NSHR Director Phil ya Nangoloh based the summary

dismissal on a February 2002 warning that he should not to speak to

the media.

But Ya Nangoloh, speaking to The Namibian, has defended

Munango's immediate dismissal, accusing his former employee of

"fraudulent behaviour", dishonesty and misuse of the company

vehicle.

 

"We feel that we followed the procedure.

 

He did dishonest things and we won't accept that.

 

I cannot accept that and [let him continue to] work with us,"

said Ya Nangoloh.

 

Munango said the NSHR gave him a "final" warning in February

2002 after a reporter at The Namibian had called to alert him and

verify assertions of human rights abuses by members of the security

forces.

 

Ya Nangoloh said Munango was "not denied" the right to speak to

the media, but "should have consulted NSHR head office" in Windhoek

because that was the organisation's policy.

 

According to Ya Nangoloh, head office suspected Munango had

spoken to reporter Max Hamata after the story referred to an

unnamed human rights activist.

 

Munango said that Hamata had told him the reference was not to

him as a monitor but to one of his other human rights sources.

 

The former NSHR employee said he would provide information to

the court showing that Ya Nangoloh "is just running the

organisation like his private firm".

 

He said Ya Nangoloh merely called him in to the director's

office and called upon the administrative officer to voice

accusations that Munango had dropped the phone in her ear and that

he had misused and damaged the company vehicle.

 

Ya Nangoloh said Munango claimed to be on sick leave while

visiting a girlfriend.

 

He also said Munango had turned from a trustworthy employee to a

dishonest one by the time he was fired.

 

"We have strict discipline, we cannot warn a person many times,"

he said.

 

The NSHR said it would defend the case, which is set down for

the Labour Court this February.

 

But Ya Nangoloh, speaking to The Namibian, has defended Munango's

immediate dismissal, accusing his former employee of "fraudulent

behaviour", dishonesty and misuse of the company vehicle. "We feel

that we followed the procedure. He did dishonest things and we

won't accept that. I cannot accept that and [let him continue to]

work with us," said Ya Nangoloh. Munango said the NSHR gave him a

"final" warning in February 2002 after a reporter at The Namibian

had called to alert him and verify assertions of human rights

abuses by members of the security forces. Ya Nangoloh said Munango

was "not denied" the right to speak to the media, but "should have

consulted NSHR head office" in Windhoek because that was the

organisation's policy. According to Ya Nangoloh, head office

suspected Munango had spoken to reporter Max Hamata after the story

referred to an unnamed human rights activist. Munango said that

Hamata had told him the reference was not to him as a monitor but

to one of his other human rights sources. The former NSHR employee

said he would provide information to the court showing that Ya

Nangoloh "is just running the organisation like his private firm".

He said Ya Nangoloh merely called him in to the director's office

and called upon the administrative officer to voice accusations

that Munango had dropped the phone in her ear and that he had

misused and damaged the company vehicle. Ya Nangoloh said Munango

claimed to be on sick leave while visiting a girlfriend. He also

said Munango had turned from a trustworthy employee to a dishonest

one by the time he was fired. "We have strict discipline, we cannot

warn a person many times," he said. The NSHR said it would defend

the case, which is set down for the Labour Court this

February.

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