Mphoko sues Daily News | The Herald March 10, 2016
Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko has made an application for a $50 million default order against the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), publisher of the Daily News, in a defamation suit the newspaper failed to defend on Tuesday.
VP Mphoko sued the Daily News for $50 million over a report claiming that he was “a sellout” and “enriched himself with the blood of the people of this country”.
Daily News chief reporter Fungi Kwaramba, editor-in-chief Stanley Gama, ANZ and printers Printco (Pvt) Ltd were listed as respondents at the High Court over the June 5, 2015, article published under the headline: “Mphoko was a sellout: Sibanda”.
The matter was brought for a pre-trial hearing before Justice Joseph Musakwa sitting in his chambers on Tuesday.
However, the defendants and their lawyers failed to attend the hearing prompting VP Mphoko’s lawyer Mr Gerald Mlotshwa of GN Mlotshwa to apply for all the defendants’ pleas to be struck out.
Mr Mlotshwa yesterday confirmed that the defendants were in default and no explanation was given regarding their failure to appear in the judge’s chambers for the pre-trial conference.
“The judge granted our application and directed that the matter proceed as an unopposed matter in the High Court,” said Mr Mlotshwa.
“The matter is likely to be determined in the next few weeks.”
The article said in part: “Fearless former war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda claims that VP Mphoko sold out during the liberation struggle when he allegedly diverted weapons meant for the late Joshua Nkomo’s Zapu to President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, a move he says could have led to the needless death of thousands of people.”
In his claim, VP Mphoko argues that he was branded a treasonous villain who, for his own benefit, clandestinely supplied apartheid South Africa with war material that was in turn supplied to the Selous Scouts.
The Selous Scouts were a Special Forces regiment of the Rhodesian army formed for specific purposes of clandestinely eliminating Zanla and Zipra guerillas during the liberation struggle.
VP Mphoko’s lawyer asked for the article to be deleted from the Daily News website to prevent further damage to his reputation.
COMMENTS
What a very interesting situation. Here is the biggest sell-out in the history of the Ndebele Nation suing someone for saying that he is/was a sell-out.
Phelekezela Mphoko has been a sell-out for the whole of his political life, if the truth be told.
He was a sell-out to Joshua Nkomo, he was a sell-out to his comrades in ZIPRA, then he was even a sell-out when a member of ZIPA.
During Gukurahundi from 1982 to 1987 he played a very dirty game. Yes, I know that he was arrested along with other Ndebele leaders in 1985 during that genocide. However, many people in the know, know that this was a blind as by then he was already working undercover for the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).If that was not a sell-out situation I do not know what is.
Then to cap it all his cruel, wicked and well reported claim that Gukurahundi was “a Western Conspiracy”. This brazen untruth was from a person who was a full witness to these many murders. Even the chief architect of the killings, Mugabe himself, has admitted responsibility for the massacres.
Mphoko was also a treasonous villain when he turned his back on his own home fellows from Matabeleland and the Midlands.
I then hope that he perseveres with his US $ 50 million defamation suit as many of his dirty deeds should come out in the wash.
Good luck to lawyer Gerald Mlotshwa as he may have to chase sell-out Mphoko from his new posh hotel is he wants to collect his fee.
its amazing that mphoko wants to open a can of worms. chihuri tried to say that daily news lied of his sleeping during one event presided by mugabe, then daily news went ahead a serialised the sleeping stages of chihuri, that sealed his mouth. chiyangwa was accused of being part of the smith soldiers, he refused and then daily news went ahead a got a photo of him in smith regime soldiers uniform. so the honorable mphoko do not be surprised when incriminating evidence of your acts surfaces