NEPC and Mathe smoke peace pipe

STAFF REPORTER

WINDHOEK

New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) and its former chief executive officer, Dr Audrin Mathe, have settled their dispute over a Range Rover vehicle that both parties claimed ownership of.

The settlement brings down the curtain on one of the longest episodes of corporate bickering, having nearly outlived three successive NEPC boards.

Throughout the marathon saga, Mathe insisted that he and the NEPC board chaired by Tarah Shaanika signed the contract that the Range Rover Sport, which the CEO used for official and private duties, would automatically become Mathe’s property upon expiry of his contract.

When Mathe left NEPC in January 2019 after his contract ended, he and his legal representatives' position was that the vehicle de facto became his as per the agreement with the Shaanika-led board.

Defamation

At the time, NEPC had a new board led by Esau Mbako, which tried to wrestle the luxury vehicle from Mathe.

Mathe threatened to sue those board members in their individual capacities as well as NEPC for defamation.

With the Mbako board’s term having ended this year, a new board was appointed in June this year, led by John Sifani. It is the Sifani board that has reached a settlement with Mathe, according to his lawyer Norman Tjombe.

“NEPC has agreed to drop the matter in exchange for Audrin also dropping the lawsuit against the company for defamation. The matter is considered closed,” Tjombe told Namibian Sun yesterday upon enquiry.