Trustco on suspension spree

The co-ordinator of the Namibia Editors’ Forum and sub-editor of Informanté, Elizabeth Mule, on Thursday became the latest victim of Trustco when she too was suspended without pay.

Mule’s suspension followed less than a week after veteran journalist Brigitte Weidlich was dealt the same blow after she reported that the marriage between Trustco, owner of the weekly, and Econet Wireless, a mobile company in Zimbabwe, was on the rocks.Weidlich’s suspension drew fire from the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa), who threatened to take Trustco to court if the company refused to lift her suspension.Mule was apparently suspended for allowing Weidlich’s article to be printed. However, so far no steps have been taken against Informanté editor Nghidipo Nangolo, who, according to Misa, was the ‘final gatekeeper’.The Namibian was reliably informed that Weidlich, despite her suspension, was summoned back to Informanté’s newsroom last Tuesday and Wednesday to help compile the business section of last week’s edition. By Thursday night, after the paper hit the street, Trustco again officially informed her than she was suspended.Neither Weidlich nor Mule was available for comment yesterday.George Mbundu, the chief operating officer of human resources at Trustco, last week told Misa that the charges against Weidlich include ‘misconduct and failing to adhere to editorial and company policies’. At a press conference last week, Kaitira Kandjii, the regional director of Misa, said the institute has scrutinised Weidlich’s story and has found nothing unethical about it.He strongly condemned Trustco’s move and said it was ‘outright censorship’ which ‘blows in the face of media freedom’.Kandji said Trustco’s decision ‘aggressively undermines’ the freedom of expression and the media as guaranteed in the Constitution.Company interests should not override editorial independence, Misa said, reminding Trustco of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa.