Nored still awaiting Kapia response

ELECTRICITY company Nored will wait until next week to hear if Swapo Party Youth League leader Paulus Kapia will apologise for slanderous remarks he made almost a month ago.

Toivo Shovaleka, acting Managing Director of Nored (Northern Electricity Distribution Company), said yesterday that the parastatal had decided “to give the process some time” before taking the next step. Nored wrote to Kapia through their lawyers on August 19, demanding that he publicly withdraw statements he made accusing the company of sabotaging President Sam Nujoma’s speech in Ondangwa.Kapia was given seven days to backtrack of face further legal action.Last week Shovaleka said: “We are now waiting for him to respond.”Kapia was reported as having accused Nored of planning “an electricity failure” as President Nujoma addressed the official inauguration of the Olute Foods Research as well as the Community Development Centre at Ondangwa.The Swapo youth secretary said the power failure was “sabotage of the highest order”.Nored described the power cut as “an unfortunate situation and not a planned power failure” and that it was caused by a tree which fell onto electricity cables supplying power to the town.The company said Kapia made “damaging and highly irresponsible utterances” which were baseless, intentional and calculated to harm the company, management and board of directors.Nored lawyers demanded that Kapia “substantiate the truth” of his allegations within seven days of receiving the letter, failure to which he retract his remarks by publishing a prominent and public apology on NBC television and The Namibian or any nationally circulated newspaper.”The contents should be approved” by Nored.”We confirm that our instructions are to proceed with a High Court action against you, in your personal capacity, should we not hear from you within the stated time,” reads the letter, which was written on August 19.Last week, Kapia again feigned ignorance of the letter of demand, and declined to comment.The Nored management was expected to meet with their lawyers today to decide what steps to take next.Nored wrote to Kapia through their lawyers on August 19, demanding that he publicly withdraw statements he made accusing the company of sabotaging President Sam Nujoma’s speech in Ondangwa.Kapia was given seven days to backtrack of face further legal action.Last week Shovaleka said: “We are now waiting for him to respond.”Kapia was reported as having accused Nored of planning “an electricity failure” as President Nujoma addressed the official inauguration of the Olute Foods Research as well as the Community Development Centre at Ondangwa.The Swapo youth secretary said the power failure was “sabotage of the highest order”.Nored described the power cut as “an unfortunate situation and not a planned power failure” and that it was caused by a tree which fell onto electricity cables supplying power to the town.The company said Kapia made “damaging and highly irresponsible utterances” which were baseless, intentional and calculated to harm the company, management and board of directors.Nored lawyers demanded that Kapia “substantiate the truth” of his allegations within seven days of receiving the letter, failure to which he retract his remarks by publishing a prominent and public apology on NBC television and The Namibian or any nationally circulated newspaper.”The contents should be approved” by Nored.”We confirm that our instructions are to proceed with a High Court action against you, in your personal capacity, should we not hear from you within the stated time,” reads the letter, which was written on August 19.Last week, Kapia again feigned ignorance of the letter of demand, and declined to comment.The Nored management was expected to meet with their lawyers today to decide what steps to take next.