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Mahere faces, yet another $100,000 defamation lawsuit
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Prominent Harare lawyer and former opposition legislator, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, is facing a second defamation lawsuit amounting to US$100,000 from TinMac Motors (Private) Limited, a company reportedly linked to Youth Minister Tinomudaishe Machakaire.
The legal action follows a series of social media posts made by Mahere on platform X (formerly Twitter) between July 5 and July 7, 2025. In the posts, she allegedly raised questions suggesting corruption, misuse of public funds, and abuse of government facilities - with references believed to implicate both TinMac Motors and Minister Machakaire.
This latest lawsuit comes just days after a separate US$100,000 suit filed on Monday over similar allegations, bringing the total amount being claimed to US$200,000. The earlier case was also in response to Mahere's X posts, which the Minister's lawyers described as defamatory and damaging.
According to a letter of demand dated Monday and delivered to Mahere's offices at Beverly Court in Harare, TinMac Motors accuses her of publishing false and harmful statements. The company, through its lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya, claims the posts implied that TinMac was engaged in criminal activities, including corruption, tax evasion, and abuse of government duty-free schemes.
Mr Rubaya emphasised that Mahere's posts wrongfully conflated the private company with Minister Machakaire. "Our client, TinMac Motors, is not owned or directed by Honourable Machakaire. The statements were therefore not only inaccurate but also malicious and calculated to harm the company's reputation," said Rubaya.
The company argues that Mahere's rhetorical questions on X were structured in a way to evade direct accusation while still creating defamatory inferences. "This veiled framing," Rubaya said, "was a deliberate attempt to shield herself from liability while inflicting maximum reputational damage."
The letter of demand calls on Mahere to delete the offending posts, issue a public apology within 24 hours, and provide evidence backing her allegations. Failure to comply, it states, will lead to the issuance of court summons and a civil suit to recover damages.
TinMac Motors also cited provisions of Zimbabwe's Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act relating to cyberbullying and the transmission of false data, though it clarified that it would not pursue criminal charges against Mahere. "Our client has chosen not to initiate criminal proceedings, mindful of the potential for such action to be misinterpreted as politically motivated persecution," said Rubaya.
Instead, the company is pursuing civil redress to address what it sees as reputational and financial harm caused by the allegations. "We believe the civil courts offer the most appropriate and fair forum to resolve this matter and uphold our client's rights," added Rubaya.
Advocate Mahere, a former spokesperson of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit or to the specific demands contained in the legal correspondence.
The escalating legal battle underscores the growing tensions between high-profile private entities and political figures in Zimbabwe's increasingly litigious digital landscape.
The legal action follows a series of social media posts made by Mahere on platform X (formerly Twitter) between July 5 and July 7, 2025. In the posts, she allegedly raised questions suggesting corruption, misuse of public funds, and abuse of government facilities - with references believed to implicate both TinMac Motors and Minister Machakaire.
This latest lawsuit comes just days after a separate US$100,000 suit filed on Monday over similar allegations, bringing the total amount being claimed to US$200,000. The earlier case was also in response to Mahere's X posts, which the Minister's lawyers described as defamatory and damaging.
According to a letter of demand dated Monday and delivered to Mahere's offices at Beverly Court in Harare, TinMac Motors accuses her of publishing false and harmful statements. The company, through its lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya, claims the posts implied that TinMac was engaged in criminal activities, including corruption, tax evasion, and abuse of government duty-free schemes.
Mr Rubaya emphasised that Mahere's posts wrongfully conflated the private company with Minister Machakaire. "Our client, TinMac Motors, is not owned or directed by Honourable Machakaire. The statements were therefore not only inaccurate but also malicious and calculated to harm the company's reputation," said Rubaya.
The company argues that Mahere's rhetorical questions on X were structured in a way to evade direct accusation while still creating defamatory inferences. "This veiled framing," Rubaya said, "was a deliberate attempt to shield herself from liability while inflicting maximum reputational damage."
The letter of demand calls on Mahere to delete the offending posts, issue a public apology within 24 hours, and provide evidence backing her allegations. Failure to comply, it states, will lead to the issuance of court summons and a civil suit to recover damages.
TinMac Motors also cited provisions of Zimbabwe's Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act relating to cyberbullying and the transmission of false data, though it clarified that it would not pursue criminal charges against Mahere. "Our client has chosen not to initiate criminal proceedings, mindful of the potential for such action to be misinterpreted as politically motivated persecution," said Rubaya.
Instead, the company is pursuing civil redress to address what it sees as reputational and financial harm caused by the allegations. "We believe the civil courts offer the most appropriate and fair forum to resolve this matter and uphold our client's rights," added Rubaya.
Advocate Mahere, a former spokesperson of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit or to the specific demands contained in the legal correspondence.
The escalating legal battle underscores the growing tensions between high-profile private entities and political figures in Zimbabwe's increasingly litigious digital landscape.
Source - The Herald
