A dramatic legal battle is unfolding between lawyer Fadzayi Mahere and Youth Empowerment Minister Tinoda Machakaire following explosive allegations and counter-allegations of defamation.
Mahere, represented by Diza Attorneys has issued a blistering response to a defamation demand served on her by Machakaire’s legal team rejecting all claims of wrongdoing and firing back with her own accusations of malicious defamation.
In a letter dated July 8, Mahere’s lawyers dismissed Machakaire’s assertions that her public questions to him constituted defamation.
“Our client denies defaming Mr. Tinoda Machakaire in the manner you allege or at all,” the letter says defending her right to question public officials in pursuit of transparency.
“The suggestion that a series of questions, posed in the spirit of seeking accountability and transparency from a Cabinet Minister constitutes defamation is legally untenable,” the response reads.
Mahere’s legal team further rebuked Machakaire’s legal argument calling it contradictory.
“You take the contradictory position that you represent your client in his ‘personal capacity’, but proceed to rely on the Freedom of Information Act, which applies to public entities,” the lawyers argued, highlighting that constitutional provisions under Section 67 give every citizen the right to demand accountability from public officials.
In a pointed counter-move Mahere is now demanding an apology and retraction from Machakaire for a barrage of social media posts made between July 5 and 6, which her lawyers describe as “false, malicious and defamatory.”
Among the most inflammatory tweets cited in the legal notice are allegations that Mahere corruptly gained admission into the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Law, engaged in bribery and espionage and had relationships in exchange for luxury gifts — including a brand-new Jaguar.
In one post, Machakaire reportedly referred to her as an “overrated self-overglorified skin bleaching thieving moron.”
Diza Attorneys described these attacks as a calculated effort to damage Mahere’s reputation.
“These defamatory statements are wholly untrue and have the effect of harming our client’s academic, professional and political standing… made with the malicious intention of trying to demean, intimidate, and silence our client,” the legal letter asserts.
According to the firm, the offensive posts had amassed over 166,000 views on social media by the time of writing spreading widely across digital platforms and multiplying their impact.
Mahere’s legal team is demanding that Machakaire publish a public apology and retraction via his X (formerly Twitter) handle within 24 hours.
The apology must explicitly state that he has no evidence to support his allegations and must retract each claim in detail.
Failure to comply, the lawyers warn will result in the filing of a lawsuit seeking damages.
“We will seek an exemplary order of costs on the grounds that such a claim would be a frivolous and vexatious abuse of court process,” Diza Attorneys said signaling that the matter may escalate to the courts imminently.
