Support Mathilda Kadhikwa: A Voice for Truth

Support Mathilda Kadhikwa: A Nurse Who Spoke the Truth, Now Facing Legal Persecution

In a time when healthcare systems in many countries, including Namibia, are struggling to provide essential services, Mathilda Kadhikwa, a retired nurse, felt compelled to speak out against corruption and the neglect of the public health sector. For years, she had witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of medical supply shortages in state health facilities. Nurses and doctors were doing their best to care for patients, but were constantly hampered by a lack of basic medical resources, supplies that should have been provided by the government and private suppliers contracted to ensure that these essential needs were met.

One of those suppliers a businessman awarded lucrative government contracts to procure medical supplies. Yet, Kadhikwa noticed something deeply troubling. Despite receiving large sums of money, the responsible company consistently failed to deliver the necessary supplies to hospitals and clinics. At the same time, the businessman and his wife, were living lavishly, while public health facilities continued to suffer from crippling shortages. The evidence was clear: while the people who needed help were being denied basic care, the businessman was benefiting financially, at the expense of public health.

As a nurse who had dedicated her life to caring for others, Mathilda could no longer stay silent. She took to social media, recording an audio message in which she expressed her concerns about the state of healthcare and the businessman’s role in the crisis. In the recording, she suggested that the businessman’s actions may have been motivated by dishonesty and greed, and implied that his lavish lifestyle stood in stark contrast to the suffering of the very people he was supposed to serve. Her words were a call for accountability, a plea for transparency, and an urgent demand for change.

But instead of being praised for shining a light on an important issue, Mathilda was met with a lawsuit from Kanyama and his wife. They accused her of defamation, claiming that her words were damaging to their reputations. Despite the fact that Mathilda never directly called them corrupt or dishonest, the court found that her statements, by implication, were defamatory. She was ordered to pay N$130,000 in damages, a sum that is well beyond her means and would ruin her financially.

This court ruling is not just a personal blow to Mathilda, but a dangerous precedent. It sends a chilling message: that those with power and wealth can silence the voices of truth, especially when they are exposed for their wrongdoings. It raises the frightening possibility that people like Mathilda, who dare to speak out for the greater good, could be crushed under the weight of legal fees, just to protect the status quo.

We cannot let this happen.

Mathilda’s courage in standing up to corruption, despite the risks, is something that deserves our support. We believe that freedom of speech and the right to expose corruption are fundamental to any functioning society. Her case highlights an ongoing issue: the disproportionate power that wealthy individuals and businesses often have in silencing whistleblowers, especially those who are simply trying to make the world a better place.

We are launching this GoFundMe campaign to help Mathilda raise the N$130,000 she has been ordered to pay in damages. But more importantly, we want to help protect the truth. We want to support someone who has shown that speaking up for the most vulnerable members of society is worth the risk even if it comes with a heavy price.

Your support will not only help Mathilda cover her legal fees but also send a message that we will not allow the voices of reason to be silenced by the rich and powerful. We must stand together to ensure that truth and justice prevail over wealth and influence.

Please consider donating to this campaign and sharing it with others who believe in the power of free speech and the importance of standing up for what is right.

Mathilda Kadhikwa’s fight is our fight. We must protect her, so that we can continue to protect the truth for all.