Pam Golding enters Mbok fray

PAM Golding Properties has given an ultimatum to Tony Mbok of Dignity Housing initiative – shut up or face a High Court interdict.

Lawyers Etzold-Duvenhage, representing Pam Golding Windhoek, said their client was no longer willing to sit back and endure the ongoing slander and defamation in statements issued to the media by Mbok. The two companies had a fallout after a project to build low-cost houses for poor residents of Katutura fell through.Mbok claims that Pam Golding dragged his name through the mud to ensure that his project would collapse and Pam Golding could run with the idea.He said Pam Golding’s representative, Daphne Swanepoel, claimed that her agency had signed up around 400 people for houses and that they had transferred the deposits into Dignity Housing’s bank accounts.Mbok denied the claim and challenged the housing developers to prove their claim with deposit slips.Last week, Etzold-Duvenhage wrote to Mbok, through his lawyers Shikongo Law Chambers,saying that their client had transferred around N$60 000 into Dignity Housing Initiative’s account.They want the money back, as Pam Golding had to refund the clients on Dignity’s behalf when the project collapsed.Pam Golding’s lawyers said Mbok’s recent statements about their client contained “extremely defamatory allegations” which injured the reputation of the estate agency.”Our client is suffering substantial and irreparable damage to its reputation, as well as financial losses to its business.Our client is even risking losing the Pam Golding franchise as a result of the false accusations made by your client in the media against our client,” Etzold-Duvenhage said.Mbok responded with anger, and more abusive statements.He claimed that Swanepoel’s statements on behalf of Pam Golding had ruined his reputation in Namibia and abroad, as they implied that he was an “international crook”.He said Etzold-Duvenhage would not succeed in shutting him up.”I will tell it like it is,” he said.At the same time he unleashed a string of unsavoury insults against Swanepoel, which The Namibian has chosen not to reprint.Mbok also accused Pam Golding of fraud, claiming they lied to the media that they had collected N$2 million on his behalf when they actually only collected N$60 000.In the meantime, another estate agent, Helena Mandevhu, has provided The Namibian with copies of slips of deposits made to the accounts of Dignity Housing Initiative and Minvesto Company, both owned by Mbok.Mandevhu was hired by Pam Golding to recruit clients for Mbok’s housing project.”Helena was not working for us.I don’t have any signed contract with her and we received no money from her,” was Mbok’s response.”It’s just Mbok, Mbok, Mbok.It’s not fair, man.Absolutely not fair.Take it easy on me, man.I’m still to live,” he said.Early indications were that Swanepoel would be advised to sue Mbok for character defamation.The two companies had a fallout after a project to build low-cost houses for poor residents of Katutura fell through.Mbok claims that Pam Golding dragged his name through the mud to ensure that his project would collapse and Pam Golding could run with the idea.He said Pam Golding’s representative, Daphne Swanepoel, claimed that her agency had signed up around 400 people for houses and that they had transferred the deposits into Dignity Housing’s bank accounts.Mbok denied the claim and challenged the housing developers to prove their claim with deposit slips.Last week, Etzold-Duvenhage wrote to Mbok, through his lawyers Shikongo Law Chambers,saying that their client had transferred around N$60 000 into Dignity Housing Initiative’s account.They want the money back, as Pam Golding had to refund the clients on Dignity’s behalf when the project collapsed.Pam Golding’s lawyers said Mbok’s recent statements about their client contained “extremely defamatory allegations” which injured the reputation of the estate agency.”Our client is suffering substantial and irreparable damage to its reputation, as well as financial losses to its business.Our client is even risking losing the Pam Golding franchise as a result of the false accusations made by your client in the media against our client,” Etzold-Duvenhage said.Mbok responded with anger, and more abusive statements.He claimed that Swanepoel’s statements on behalf of Pam Golding had ruined his reputation in Namibia and abroad, as they implied that he was an “international crook”.He said Etzold-Duvenhage would not succeed in shutting him up.”I will tell it like it is,” he said.At the same time he unleashed a string of unsavoury insults against Swanepoel, which The Namibian has chosen not to reprint.Mbok also accused Pam Golding of fraud, claiming they lied to the media that they had collected N$2 million on his behalf when they actually only collected N$60 000.In the meantime, another estate agent, Helena Mandevhu, has provided The Namibian with copies of slips of deposits made to the accounts of Dignity Housing Initiative and Minvesto Company, both owned by Mbok.Mandevhu was hired by Pam Golding to recruit clients for Mbok’s housing project.”Helena was not working for us.I don’t have any signed contract with her and we received no money from her,” was Mbok’s response.”It’s just Mbok, Mbok, Mbok.It’s not fair, man.Absolutely not fair.Take it easy on me, man.I’m still to live,” he said.Early indications were that Swanepoel would be advised to sue Mbok for character defamation.