Nangolo back on desk duty

Eva-Maria Nangolo - a legal aid lawyer who landed in hot water over derogatory remarks she made about the Damara community back in April - has returned to work, but will not represent the state in court until a probe into her conduct is completed.Nangolo, who is currently under investigation by the ministry of justice, has dragged to court justice minister Yvonne Dausab and the ministry’s legal aid division to challenge their decision to withdraw her as a state legal aid counsel. She drew the ire of many Namibians when she tweeted about Damara people’s culture and allegedly stereotyped them for saying they are largely only known for violent behaviour. “The Damara people are doing something beautiful, a cultural identity. I love this. This overshadows that [violent] image of breaking bottles, stabbing, insults... no culture identity that I know of them,” she tweeted in response to photos of a cultural event.At the time, Dausab revoked Nangolo’s legal aid certificate, while a disciplinary process was set in motion.No such thingThe ministry’s executive director Gladys Pickering yesterday confirmed that Nangolo has in the meantime returned to office.However, she will be desk-bound until the disciplinary investigation and court case are concluded.“Yes, I can confirm the staff member is at the office. I am informed she is here. But no, there is no such thing as her being a junior,” she said of claims that Nangolo had been demoted.“She is still a legal officer on Grade 5, but she is not going to court any more. The court case is still on. There is still an investigation, but I cannot say anything about that now,” Pickering said.Nangolo also confirmed that she had returned to the office after being on leave, and that her right to appear in court had been suspended. “I don’t know what you make of this, when we are public servants before we are assigned tasks. When your right of appearance is taken away, then you are just a civil servant,” she said. jemima@namibiansun.com

Nangolo back on desk duty

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-28

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Nangolo back on desk duty

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-28

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