Acting judge sues IPC activist

Senior public servant Gladice Pickering, who was announced this week as an acting judge of the High Court of Namibia, has filed a N$250 000 defamation lawsuit against Nghipudilo ya Shiindi over Facebook posts alleging corruption.

Ya Shiindi, a staff member in the National Assembly working for the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), posted claims on social media questioning renovation work carried out at offices rented by the ministry of justice in the Sanlam Building in Windhoek.

The allegations stem from an anonymous whistleblower letter dated 17 November 2025 addressed to Secretary to Cabinet Emilia Mkusa and Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare.

The letter, seen by Namibian Sun, claimed Pickering – who at the time served as executive director of the justice ministry – initiated renovation work in February 2023 that was not reflected in the ministry’s approved capital project budget.

It further alleged that some of the renovations were carried out by a company owned by her husband, Ulrich Pickering Interior Projects CC, raising concerns about a possible conflict of interest.

Whistleblower allegations

According to the letter, public funds paid by government to the building owner, Sanlam, were allegedly used to finance the renovations before the landlord paid contractors for the work.

The whistleblower argued that, even if the ministry did not directly procure the contractor, unbudgeted work was still carried out using public funds and a family member of a senior public official allegedly benefited financially.

The letter also claimed Pickering failed to declare a conflict of interest and suggested the use of the landlord as an intermediary bypassed normal procurement safeguards.

Pickering’s husband has denied the allegations, saying he was appointed by the property owner rather than a government ministry.

“I never did work for either the ministry of justice, ministry of works or even Sanlam itself. I was contacted by JHI [the company managing the property]. There were more than three companies that tendered. I was not handpicked,” he said.

ACC probe completed

The matter was reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in February last year while Pickering was still the justice ministry’s executive director.

A case was registered, but by August the ACC confirmed to Namibian Sun that the investigation had been closed.

The whistleblower has since criticised the anti-corruption body for allegedly failing to provide transparency about the outcome of the investigation.

Defamation lawsuit

Pickering is now suing Ya Shiindi for defamation over statements she posted on Facebook on 6 November 2025.

According to court documents filed in the High Court, Ya Shiindi wrote that she had “come across a case that was reported to the ACC but unfortunately, the file seems to have been quietly closed without any explanation”.

She also questioned how the renovation project was funded, writing that the ministry had not budgeted for renovations but that Pickering had allegedly proposed a budget for office upgrades carried out by her husband’s company.

The post further asked: “How did Sanlam know that the ministry of justice suddenly had money for renovations that were never budgeted for? Who approved the reallocation of those public funds?”

Ya Shiindi described the matter as evidence of a “bigger problem in our system – connections over accountability” and called on the Office of the Prime Minister to investigate.

In her particulars of claim, Pickering argues that the statements were false and defamatory and were intended to damage her reputation and dignity.

“The statements were wrongful and unlawful and were made with the intention to injure the plaintiff in her name, reputation and dignity,” the court papers state.

She claims the posts created the impression that she was corrupt, dishonest and had abused her position as a senior public official. Pickering also denies that any budget virement was proposed or that any corrupt conduct occurred.

“There was never a single corrupt practice… which was swept under the carpet,” she states in the court documents.

Pickering is asking the court to award N$250 000 in damages, declare the statements defamatory and order Ya Shiindi to remove the posts and publish an unconditional apology. She is also seeking legal costs on an attorney-and-own-client scale.

Defence filed

In her defence plea, Ya Shiindi admits that she authored the social media post but denies that she maliciously violated Pickering’s constitutional rights.

She argues that the statements were based on information contained in a written communication from an anonymous government employee detailing alleged irregularities relating to the renovation project.

The matter has not yet been set down for hearing.

Pickering is represented by lawyer Sisa Namandje, while Ya Shiindi is represented by lawyer Dirk Conradie.

In a separate matter in June last year, the High Court ordered Ya Shiindi to pay N$10 000 towards the legal costs of air marshal Martin Pinehas after finding that she had defamed him on social media by alleging he was plotting to assassinate IPC leader Panduleni Itula.