STAFF WRITER
Former National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) managing director Immanuel Mulunga says he feels vindicated after the Labour Court ruled on Friday that his dismissal from the parastatal was unfair.
Mulunga was fired on 8 August 2024 but challenged an unfair dismissal case with the Labour Court. Namcor later retaliated with its own case on 8 November 2024, accusing Mulunga of discrimination and breach of contract.
In a ruling dated 5 June 2025, arbitrator Moses Mazambo dismissed Namcor’s case and ruled in favour of Mulunga.
“In the premise, this tribunal hereby orders the following: the applicant’s points are hereby upheld; that, the dispute referred to the Labour Commissioner dated 8th November 2024 by the respondent is hereby dismissed,” Mazambo said.
Mulunga told Namibia Business Review yesterday that while he is relieved by the outcome, Namcor still treats him as guilty despite being cleared by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), an internal disciplinary hearing, and now the Labour Court.
“Yes, I feel vindicated. I have now been found not guilty by the ACC, by Namcor’s own disciplinary hearing and now by the Labour Commissioner. Am I still guilty in the eyes of Namcor?” he said.
Mulunga served as Namcor’s chief for eight years, overseeing a major rebranding and laying the groundwork to transition the company from a struggling entity into a competitive force in both downstream and upstream oil operations.
“We are very good at destroying our own in this country,” Mulunga added.
His dismissal last year came less than 48 hours after retired judge Gerhard Maritz, who chaired an internal disciplinary hearing, found him not guilty on all charges brought against him by the board.
Mulunga was dismissed on 8 August 2024 by the then newly appointed board over several allegations, including the unauthorised N$50 million acquisition of assets from military contractor Enercon.
The Namcor board had accused him of fraud, citing a failure to disclose crucial information and a breach of trust in his relationship with directors. The controversy centred on a US$6.7 million (around N$123 million) payment to a UK-registered company in a joint venture with Namcor for an oil exploration and extraction project in Angola.
Mulunga, however, insisted the board abused its authority to push him out.
Reacting to the court ruling, Africa Energy Chamber chairperson NJ Ayuk also welcomed the decision, saying Mulunga’s reputation had been unfairly tarnished.
“I am glad Immanuel Mulunga got vindicated and he got justice. I always believed it was unfair how this man was treated. They tried to destroy him. Many people he had helped deserted him. The Namibian media was so harsh on him. Really nasty. It was real-life swift-boating. His friends refused to deal with him,” Ayuk said.
Ayuk added “He won and I pray he gets to rebuild his career. They misled. They defamed. They concealed. They were destroyed.”
Ayuk said that the media played a significant role in what he described as Mulunga’s public persecution.
“We can’t pretend this didn’t happen. In Africa we know how to destroy our own. He remains a giant in Namibia’s oil and gas industry. He was already a mountain. A champion.”
Ayuk praised the court’s decision as a win for judicial independence in Namibia.
“Credit must also be given to the Namibian judiciary. More evidence of judicial independence in the country. Investors can always be confident about the sanctity of contracts in Namibia,” Ayuk said.
COMMENTS