Gideon made to pay in Nust job bid
Gideon made to pay in Nust job bid

Gideon made to pay in Nust job bid

Herma Prinsloo
OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK



University of Namibia academic Frednard Gideon's bid to stop the appointment of Erold Naomab as vice-chancellor of the Namibia University of Technology (Nust) backfired when the High Court dismissed it and ordered him to pay the legal costs of those he was suing.

Gideon had challenged the outcome of the selection through an urgent application filed at the High Court challenging Naomab's appointment as Nust vice-chancellor, citing that he had been the best performing candidate for the position during interviews conducted.

Delivering his judgement, High Court Judge Kobus Miller ruled that despite the opposition raised by Gideon, the institution had been without a vice-chancellor for some time while its recruitment process dragged on. “In weighing these considerations one against the other, coupled as of necessity it must be, by likelihood of possible irreparable harm, which I dealt with, I must conclude that the balance of convenience favours the respondents [Nust, Goamab] and not the applicant [Gideon], Miller ruled.

Gideon was ordered to pay the legal costs of Nust and Naomab.



Unfair

Gideon brought the urgent application to stop Naomab from taking office in January 2021, arguing that he was overlooked despite performing better in the job interviews. Nakusera had recently explained the Nust council's decision in an interview on Namibian Sun's 'Evening Review' programme. Nakusera's responses were unsatisfactory, Gideon argued in court papers.

“I personally watched the video depicting the press briefing by her [Nakusera] and her answering the questions by the media on 13 November. In particular she did not deny the fact that I came out as the overall and combined best ranked candidate with the quantitative combined ranking of 68% as opposed to the fifth respondent [Naomab] with 64%,” Gideon stated in his court application.

Gideon further claimed that a background check of him was done in an unfair, irrational and unlawful manner.

Gideon also claimed that he had better qualifications, experience and skills than Naomab and that he outranked Naomab at the University of Namibia. Gideon questioned the haste with which Naomab's appointment was made.

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-11

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