Diescho Misses Court Appearance as Defamation Case Against Ramakhutla and The Namibian Struck from Roll
By TUW
Academic Joseph Diescho has failed to appear for a second notable public and legal engagement in Namibia following earlier reports of threats, as his defamation case against businesswoman Uschi Ramakhutla and The Namibian newspaper was struck from the court roll with costs.
The case stems from allegations made by Ramakhutla, who was quoted in The Namibian accusing Diescho of sexual harassment. The same allegations were also reportedly shared on her personal Facebook account.
Diescho approached the court seeking damages of N$600 000, arguing that the statements were false, defamatory, and damaging to his reputation and dignity, naming both Ramakhutla and the media house as respondents.
When the matter was called before the court, Judge De Jager struck it from the roll after Diescho failed to appear. The court also ordered that he is liable for the legal costs of both respondents.
His absence comes after he previously raised concerns over reported threats linked to a separate public engagement, including a Kavango Forum event where he was scheduled to appear as keynote speaker but did not attend.
