Chiyangwa says he is HIV negative

Businessman Phillip Chiyangwa claims he is HIV negative basing his assertions on what he says is a January laboratory test.

This is contained in a $250 million defamation lawsuit against a United Kingdom-based website which he says claimed he suffers from a terminal sexually transmitted disease, was a corrupt businessman, and that his wealth was ill-gotten.

The 55-year-old Affirmative Action Group founder said in the suit that Nehanda Radio and its managing editor Lance Guma published articles that were plainly false and defamatory as they described him as recklessly promiscuous, immoral and indecent, lacking integrity and using illicit and felonious means to acquire wealth.

The flamboyant businessman took umbrage at Nehanda Radio's claim that he did not acquire his wealth through merit and diligent ways.

He said the website did not seek to verify the authenticity of the allegations before publication of the articles or elicit comment from him.

The self-styled mogul said the false and defamatory assertions transmitted by the online publication were of the sort calculated to cause him harm both personally and professionally.

The Native Investment Group founder said in the lawsuit that claims by Nehanda that he suffered a terminal sexually transmitted disease were "unequivocally false".

In his suit, Chiyangwa attached his January 30, 2014 HIV test results done at Lancet Clinical Laboratories Zimbabwe showing that he was HIV negative.

Chiyangwa said he was a former Member of Parliament, a well established businessman, a celebrated entrepreneur and a champion of black empowerment.

He said through top Harare law firm Mutamangira and Associates, that Nehanda Radio's allegations were a "malicious assassination of the plaintiff's reputation."

Chiyangwa took exception to an article titled Chiyangwa targets new private jet, car, which alleged he had "made money corruptly buying council land cheaply and also benefiting from government tenders using Zanu PF connections."

Another article titled Another Chiyangwa girlfriend exposed claimed his purported girlfriend Lindsey Ndlovu, accused him of forcibly having sex with her and telling her not to report the matter and that he had assaulted her. He strenuously denied the allegations.

The third article titled Chiyangwa spends $50k on girlfriends, refuses to use protection alleged he spends $50 000 a month on rentals and other expenses for dozens of girlfriends including three of them, Jacqueline Ngarande, Tracy Mandaba and Cherylene Mutambirwa, who are all currently pregnant.

Chiyangwa said Nehanda published the allegations knowing full well they were false.

"The allegations seriously and materially damaged the plaintiff's reputation and standing in the eyes of ordinary readers and listeners of the first defendant's publication and broadcast," Chiyangwa's High Court papers say.

"The publication of the said articles were so wrongful, unlawful and constitutes a brazen assassination of plaintiff ‘s character. The harm suffered by the plaintiff is mammoth and extensively widespread as the defamatory articles are accessible to billions of people with access to the internet. The articles have remained accessible on the first defendant's website to date.

"The plaintiff therefore claims, against the defendants, damages for defamation in the sum of $250 million," he said, adding he prayed for an order directing Nehanda radio to remove the articles from their website.

It was not immediately clear if Nehanda Radio would enter an appearance to defend the suit.