Lusaka Guard Sues Boss For Calling Him A ‘Dog’

The Kanyama local court has heard how a man sued his former employer for calling him a dog after failing to pay him his terminal benefits.
This was in a case in which Anderson Mungoni, 73, of Chibolya Township sued his former employer Bhatta Chayla, 66, of C115 Fairview area in Lusaka for defamation after calling him a dog when he demanded his terminal benefits.
Mangani said he dragged his former employer whom he had served for 18 years for using unpalatable language at the expense of his sweat.
On February 3, 2015, Chayla came back driving after 18:00 hours and entered the house pretending not to have seen his guard, Mr Mungoni, but when he came back from the house he called him a dog and chased him away.
“I told him, I had worked for him for 18 years and why should he now call me a dog when what I had earlier wanted was what I had worked for?” Mr Mungoni asked.
Mr Mungoni said he decided to sue Chayla for compensation as it was rude for an employer to call his worker names when he had served him all that long.
But in defence Chayla said he was not that evil to call his long serving employee such a bad name as he had liked his way of executing duties.
“Mr Mungoni, let us try to be sincere after all that long, you think I can find the guts to call you a dog or send you away from the company, no I am not that bad even other employees can be my witnesses,” Chayla said.
Chayla said due to the love he had for his former employee, he had even employed one of his daughters to appreciate him.
In passing judgment, senior magistrate Ackim Phiri said there was no case as the defendant had also prepared a cheque for K7, 000 for his former employee.
“As he has already said he wants you to continue being friends because you may need each other’s help tomorrow but if you are aggrieved, you appeal within 30 days,” the magistrate added.