CCC Spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere Disowns Twitter Account
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Advocate Fadzayi Mahere has disowned her verified Twitter account in a bid to escape a defamation lawsuit filed by advocate Tinomudaishe Chinyoka.
Chinyoka, a former chairperson of PetroTrade, is claiming US$100 000 “in damages for defamation and injurious falsehood” after Mahere posted on Twitter on March 10, 2022, alleging Chinyoka had been suspended from the parastatal for corruption.
Mahere said in the tweet which is now the subject of litigation:
Corruption is killing us. They were appointed in June 2021. Before one year is up, they’re facing allegations of corruption. Among the suspended are Tino Chinyoka and Lilian Timveos.
This appears to have been untrue and Chinyoka is fighting to reverse the suspension of the board he chaired. In court papers, Chinyooka argued that Energy minister Soda Zhemu and senior officials in the ministry are pushing the privatisation of Petrotrade “to the exclusion of the board which is unlawful.”
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Chinyoka averred, in papers filed with the High Court in May:
The defendant is Fadzayi Mahere, a private individual and lawyer … (who) has/runs/controls an account on Twitter under the handle @advocatemahere.
In her defendant’s plea submitted on June 6, Mahere denied Chinyoka’s assertion that she “has/runs/controls” the @advocatemahere account. She declared in court papers seen by Kukurigo:
Denied. The Plaintiff is put to the strict proof of his claim…. The defendant denies that she is a mere private individual. The plaintiff is aware that the defendant is the spokesperson and secretary for information of the main opposition in Zimbabwe.
Despite denying that she controls the @advocatemahere handle, she proceeds to defend the tweet in the same plea, saying “the contents of the tweet were true”.
Chinyoka responded to Mahere’s plea in replication papers filed Friday (July 8), describing Mahere as dishonest. He responded:
And, as the Defendant goes on to admit publishing the statements complained about, the denial that the Twitter handle ‘@advocatemahere’ belongs to her and the sanctimonious demand for the Plaintiff to prove the fact is, in these unfortunate circumstances, facetious.
Demonstrating her propensity and propinquity for mendacity and perfidy, the Defendant confuses herself by claiming that a verified (Twitter) account requires further proof that it is hers.
Individuals are required to “provide a photo of a valid official government-issued identification document, such as your Driver’s Licence or Passport”, as per verification requirements listed on the Twitter website.
The account in question also posts CCC internal resolutions, Mahere’s selfie pictures and other personal stuff.
