$350,000 saga: Mazibisa speaks out

Promiment Lawyer Sindiso Mazibisa has broke the silence over a $350 000 saga that has been in the Chronicle Headlines since November last year.

In a $ 20 000 000 lawsuit in possession of this publication filed in the High Court of Zimbabwe Bulawayo on 6 February 2014, Mazibisa cited Chronicle Newspaper Editor Mduduzi Mathuthu as 1st Defendant , Thandeka  Moyo Chronicle Reporter as 2nd Defendant, Zimpapers as 3rd Defendant and Choppies Downtown as 4th Respondent.

The Court papers said: The publication and and stories published by the 3rd Defendant sold at 4th Defendant's shop at the instance of the 1st Defendant as Editor and 2nd Defendant as Reporter in the Chronicle Newspaper were false malicious, and were calculated to defame Plaintiff in his character, dignity and integrity because:

(a)    While Plaintiff concluded an agreement over a gold mine with Mr Titus Ncube the terms of the agreement were clear and straight forward on what happens where and when and the 1st and 2nd Defendant have ignored that.

(b) There is no basis in fact for the Defendant's malicious publication to the effect that Plaintiff  "swindled or defrauded Titus Ncube of $ 350 000"

(c) There is no sum of  US 350 000 the Plaintiff or his law firm ever received as allegedly by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendant.

(d) The publication of the stories are a result of 1st Defendant's (Mduduzi Mathuthu's) infantile , immature, irresponsible journalism and misguided encouragement of Thandeka  Moyo to write falsehoods.

(e) A reader of the alleged running agreement, even a Grade 5 pupil (of which Mduduzi Mathuthu and Thandeka Moyo should be) would see or know that the alleged Fraud is a creation of the Chronicle and friends.

(f) There is a plot to fight the Plaintiff's illustrious legal career and public standing.

Mazibisa said his  lawsuit is the result of Mathuthu's false and defamatory utterances which Thandeka Moyo maliciously published in the Chronicle.

"I suffered injury and impairment of my dignity, reputation, esteem, legal and political damage and good standing, and was maliciously defamed in the eyes of all the people nationally and worldwide who read the published defamatory utterances."

The State owned daily paper on the front pages of the Chronicle Newspaper issues of 19th November 2013, 21st January 2015, 2nd February 2015 and 5th February 2015 published stories under headlines

" Prominent Lawyer in $350 K Fraud probe", "Lawyers Steal from Trust Funds", " Cheda Law Firm shut down over $350 K fraud" and "Mazibisa Surrenders"