Informanté editor ‘resigns’ over Nujoma

MAX Hamata, editor of the weekly tabloid Informanté, has resigned in the wake of the drama that ensued after a recent story about former President Sam Nujoma’s alleged ill-health.

He was summoned to explain the merits of the story to the Trustco executive committee.Trustco Group MD Quinton van Rooyen – the owner of the paper – on Tuesday said he and the exco considered the story about Nujoma’s allegedly worsening prostate cancer as ‘malicious’. As a result, Hamata would have had to appear on the red carpet about the report that the newspaper ran on November 4.Van Rooyen said Hamata was told to bring along someone to represent him ‘as it could have disciplinary consequences’.Yesterday, however, Trustco spokesperson Neville Basson announced that Hamata had resigned. He will head the controversial tabloid until January 31 2011.Nujoma’s senior special assistant, John Nauta, earlier said the report that the former President was flown to Cape Town ‘after his long battle with prostate cancer’ allegedly deteriorated was ‘bullshit’.In a strongly worded letter, the founding President’s lawyer, Mathilda Jankie-Shakwa, last week claimed the report was entirely false and the authors’ own fabrication. ‘Our client was never flown out of the country last week [the first week in November] for health or any other reasons. Our client is unable to phantom [fathom] as to what could have been the motive for writing such a reckless and false story.’Meanwhile, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) on Monday lashed out at threats that Hamata and his family have allegedly been receiving since the story broke. ‘Misa continues to monitor the matter and is gravely concerned about alleged threats to Hamata’s safety and that of his staff and family.’Jankie-Shakwa said they are still consulting with Nujoma and no further decision has been taken.Asked about Nujoma’s current state of health, she said: ‘I cannot tell you that at the moment.’

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