Amupanda targeted Hinda-Mbuende, Angula claims

Social commentator Vitalio Angula was recently implicated in a defamation case in which deputy finance minister Maureen Hinda-Mbuende is demanding N$1 million from activist and former Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda.

Angula started sharing opinion pieces on his personal Facebook page in 2019 and at the time wrote about the allegedly defamatory remarks made by Amupanda.

"I took the opportunity to write about his [Amupanda's] online behaviour, especially his treatment of other people, specifically women... He is a good subject if one wants to write about online bullying, online harassment, sexism and victimisation - he fits the bill very well," Angula said in a witness statement submitted to the Windhoek High Court earlier this month.

Amupanda, however, argued that Angula is not an expert in any field and that he will waste the court's time.

"He is simply a witness who flip-flops between a columnist and a negative portrayer of Job Amupanda. He does not have any evidence regarding this case. He does not facilitate the court process in any way, yet he insists on testifying against me."

‘He targeted her’

In his statement, Angula said he had, in a past interview, asked Amupanda how he goes about dealing with his opponents.

To this, Amupanda apparently responded: "When it comes to fighting, someone can't say ‘no, I'm a lady and should be treated differently. If we fight, we fight to destroy our enemies’”.

Regarding the current case, Angula said he saw on Amupanda's Twitter (now X) profile that Hinda-Mbuende allegedly invited him to a hotel and that he apparently turned down her advances.

"He implied that she is a bitter 'sugar mommy'. He created the narrative that she was a 'cougar' and the public thought she wanted to have a sexual relationship with him, and when he refused, she retaliated by suing him."

"This speaks to his [Amupanda’s] modus operandi... He had a political difference with her and that’s why he targeted her,” he said.

An opinion piece Angula wrote on the matter was published in The Namibian.

Angula ‘spreading falsehoods’

In his own statement, Amupanda claimed that Angula has been spreading falsehoods about him and writing pieces that paint him in a negative light.

“He also accused me of suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder.

“He is also the son of Helmut Angula, who was also quoted in newspaper articles where he made negative comments about me," he said.

Angula further pointed out that men do not have to do much to attack women online.

"You only refer to her sexually and she has no way to fight back, because her stature in society is immediately reduced and no one listens to her,” he said.

The parties appeared before Judge Collins Parker yesterday.