Source: Mahoka sues women’s league provincial chair – DailyNews Live 12 January 2017
Tendai Kamhungira, DEPUTY CHIEF WRITER
HARARE – Hurungwe East Zanu PF MP, Sarah Mahoka, has filed a $1 million
lawsuit against the party’s Mashonaland West women’s league (WL)
chairperson Angeline Muchemeyi, accusing her of defamation.
Mahoka says Muchemeyi falsely claimed that she was undermining Vice
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s authority and that she embezzled money
meant for the First Lady Grace Mugabe’s rallies.
The suit was filed in the High Court.
She took great exception to claims by Muchemeyi that “Mahoka is facing
serious charges of undermining the authority and the person of …
Mnangagwa”.
“She is also behind the disappearance of several thousands of dollars
meant for the first lady’s countrywide rallies held last year,” Muchemeyi
was quoted as saying.
According to the court summons filed in December, Muchemeyi’s comments
were made after the party’s provincial executive meeting held at the Zanu
PF’s provincial head offices in Chinhoyi, two days before the publication
of the story.
Mahoka, who is on record claiming to be in good books with Grace Mugabe,
said Muchemeyi’s words were defamatory because they damaged her reputation
as a parliamentarian.
Her lawyers described Muchemeyi’s comments, detailed in the complaint, as
“completely false and highly defamatory.”
The lawsuit is the latest step in the increasingly acrimonious wars in
Zanu PF, which has been balkanised by deadly internal fights.
“The plaintiff (Mahoka) considers the…statement to be highly defamatory
particularly due to the following: She is also Zanu PF’s national women’s
league’s secretary for finance. Suffice to say that plaintiff is a public
figure both at the party structure and at national level as a
parliamentarian. Any news about the plaintiff is going to attract a lot of
interest and is going to attract a lot of readership,” Mahoka said.
She said she was never brought to court on allegations of theft and has
never been found guilty.
“The plaintiff has also not been tried by the Zanu PF’s disciplinary
committee and found guilty of theft…, the plaintiff’s image has been
severely tarnished… she has lost the confidence and trust of the
electorate, her fellow members of Parliament …,” she said.
Mahoka said she is now being ridiculed both in government and in public.
“For a lawmaker, this is seriously damaging…the defendant as against the
person of the plaintiff, the plaintiff claims against the defendant $1
million representing damages for the injured reputation of the plaintiff
in the eyes of the public,” Mahoka said, adding that Muchemeyi was driven
by bad faith.
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