Tsumeb municipality to appeal N$108 000 labour award
The Tsumeb Municipality is appealing a Labour Commissioner's ruling that ordered the reinstatement of a former firefighter and the payment of N$108,000 in back wages. The municipality claims the initial arbitration was procedurally flawed, while the worker remains unemployed and unpaid.
Why it matters
This case illustrates the complexities of labor disputes and the challenges workers face when municipalities contest legal rulings regarding wrongful termination.
A former Tsumeb Municipality firefighter assistant remains without a job or compensation after the municipality challenged a Labour Commissioner’s ruling ordering his reinstatement and payment of N$108 000 in outstanding wages.
Timotheus Wangolo was awarded reinstatement and 12 months’ remuneration after Labour Commissioner arbitrator Alexina Mazinza Mabakeng found that his dismissal was procedurally unfair.
The arbitrator ordered the municipality to reinstate Wangolo from 1 May 2026 on the same terms and conditions of employment and pay him N$108 000 for loss of earnings.
Wangolo told The Namibian he received the ruling through the Office of the Labour Commissioner and was informed that the municipality had also been served with the outcome.
“They also gave the letter to the municipality and then they told them that I must go and start working on 1 May and they must pay that money on 28 May,” he says.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in