Mahere's in urgent bid to block US$33,000 cost claim

The Harare High Court is today expected to hear an urgent application filed by lawyer and politician Fadzayi Mahere seeking to halt the execution of a writ obtained by lawyers representing Youth Minister Tinoda Machakaire in their ongoing defamation dispute.

The matter will be presided over by Justice Tawanda Chitapi.

Mahere is seeking a stay of execution after Machakaire's legal team moved to enforce a US$33,000 legal costs claim arising from an earlier High Court ruling.

The legal battle between the two stems from competing defamation lawsuits, with Machakaire initially suing Mahere before she filed a counterclaim. Both cases are still pending before the courts.

In the course of the proceedings, Mahere filed an exception and a special plea challenging Machakaire's defamation claim. However, Justice Chitapi dismissed the objections and ordered Mahere to pay legal costs.

Those costs now form the basis of the US$33,000 bill being pursued by Machakaire.

Mahere has since challenged the costs order and is asking the court to suspend execution of the writ while her challenge is being determined.

Meanwhile, the dispute between the two is set to continue in court next week after Machakaire filed a separate application contesting a procedural step taken by Mahere in the same matter.

That application is also scheduled to be heard before Justice Chitapi.