News / Regional
Obert Mpofu sues senior MDC official for $1 million, threatens NewsDay
29 Feb 2012 at 11:03hrs |
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Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu plans to sue MDC national chairman Goodrich Chimbaira for a whopping $1 million on "malicious allegations" against him.
Mpofu sent a notice of intention to sue and a letter of demand for retraction of comments and an apology to Chimbaira dated February 27, 2012.
While addressing a rally on Thursday in Nkayi (February 23), Chimbaira said Mpofu "is the richest person in Matabeleland because of his allegiance to Zanu-PF leader, President Robert Mugabe, whom he calls his father."
He added that "there have been sellouts before. We have people like Obert Mpofu who sold out Joshua Nkomo by jumping to Zanu-PF during Gukurahundi."
The story was published by NewsDay on Saturday.
This is what has prompted Mpofu to take legal action.
His lawyers wrote: "to pay $1 000 000 00 in 7 days through our office for calling our client names, hurting and maligning his reputation, dignity and personal feelings, and upon retraction and apology we can negotiate the damages claim" said his lawyers.
"If you do not comply with our clients' demand we shall issue summons against you and the NewsDay Newspaper which by copy of this letter is instructed to withdraw and apologies for facilitating the published and circulating of defamatory remarks, falsehoods and outright lies," added the statement.
The letter further reads, "Our client upon considered advice from your utterances not only mala fide but defamatory and contumelious. Put differently, your utterances have the effect of hurting the dignity, reputation and right standing of our client in the eyes of right thinking and ordinary citizens and his personal feelings.
"For the record, you allegations of our client selling out are untrue.
It is even worse to allege that our client sold out the late Joshua Nkomo during Gukurahundi. Your facts and history is deliberately cooked and spiced with wrong motives" the letter went on.
The lawyers said while in a democracy politicians must have a thick skin, "your utterances are an abuse of the freedom of expression and opinion. Your are free to go around shouting malicious untruths."
On Newsday's part, "we give you and the Alpha Media Holdings the publisher of the Newsday newspaper by copy of this letter 7 (seven) days to "withdraw the defamatory statements and apologize and retract the offending words in the NewsDay Newspaper and at least two other papers the said apologies and retractions must be published at least thrice on the front pages of the Newsday newspapers."
Mpofu sent a notice of intention to sue and a letter of demand for retraction of comments and an apology to Chimbaira dated February 27, 2012.
While addressing a rally on Thursday in Nkayi (February 23), Chimbaira said Mpofu "is the richest person in Matabeleland because of his allegiance to Zanu-PF leader, President Robert Mugabe, whom he calls his father."
He added that "there have been sellouts before. We have people like Obert Mpofu who sold out Joshua Nkomo by jumping to Zanu-PF during Gukurahundi."
The story was published by NewsDay on Saturday.
This is what has prompted Mpofu to take legal action.
His lawyers wrote: "to pay $1 000 000 00 in 7 days through our office for calling our client names, hurting and maligning his reputation, dignity and personal feelings, and upon retraction and apology we can negotiate the damages claim" said his lawyers.
"If you do not comply with our clients' demand we shall issue summons against you and the NewsDay Newspaper which by copy of this letter is instructed to withdraw and apologies for facilitating the published and circulating of defamatory remarks, falsehoods and outright lies," added the statement.
The letter further reads, "Our client upon considered advice from your utterances not only mala fide but defamatory and contumelious. Put differently, your utterances have the effect of hurting the dignity, reputation and right standing of our client in the eyes of right thinking and ordinary citizens and his personal feelings.
"For the record, you allegations of our client selling out are untrue.
It is even worse to allege that our client sold out the late Joshua Nkomo during Gukurahundi. Your facts and history is deliberately cooked and spiced with wrong motives" the letter went on.
The lawyers said while in a democracy politicians must have a thick skin, "your utterances are an abuse of the freedom of expression and opinion. Your are free to go around shouting malicious untruths."
On Newsday's part, "we give you and the Alpha Media Holdings the publisher of the Newsday newspaper by copy of this letter 7 (seven) days to "withdraw the defamatory statements and apologize and retract the offending words in the NewsDay Newspaper and at least two other papers the said apologies and retractions must be published at least thrice on the front pages of the Newsday newspapers."
Source - Byo24News
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