Source: Mutasa, Gumbo withdraw Mujuru defamation claim – DailyNews Live
Tendai Kamhungira 13 March 2018
HARARE – Former Zanu PF stalwarts Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo have
withdrawn a $5 million defamation suit against their former boss and ally
Joice Mujuru, who is now leading the National People’s Party (NPP).
The duo, last year filed a lawsuit accusing the former vice president of
claiming they demanded sex from her.
“Take notice that with the consent of the defendant (Mujuru), the first
and second plaintiffs (Gumbo and Mutasa) hereby withdraws its claim
against the defendant without tendering costs,” reads the letter of
withdrawal filed on February 7.
The three are former partners in the Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) party and
parted ways last year resulting in Mujuru forming her NPP.
According to the court summons that had been filed by the two, they
accused Mujuru of claiming that they had demanded sex from her following
an article published in one of the daily newspapers titled Bigwigs wanted
to sleep with me: Mujuru.
The two alleged that Mujuru defamed them while addressing ZPF provincial
structures in Masvingo on February 11, last year.
According to the duo, Mujuru reportedly said, “I want you to google then
advise each other. They said Mai Mujuru, we want you to be our queen bee.
I was supposed to mate with all the men in the party. I was supposed to be
their wife.
“I was supposed to work for them because they had seen that while I was
still in Egypt (Zanu PF) I used to work hard. So they wanted to borrow
that hardworking spirit to work for them and I told them that I can’t be
your queen bee.
“I am a woman of substance even though I am a widow, I have an image to
protect and since the death of my husband (Solomon Mujuru), I have no
appetite for men. I told them that I am here to work for Zimbabwe and this
did not make them happy.”
Mutasa and Gumbo claimed that the statement was wrongful and defamatory,
adding that it was aimed at injuring their reputations.
They claimed in their papers that they are respectable people in the
society and that they never demanded sex from Mujuru, adding that her
statement was malicious.
On the other hand, Mujuru had disputed the averments made by the two
former allies, claiming their actions were a product of sour grapes,
emanating from the political separation.
She said the two had admitted having uttered the words that they wanted
her to be the Queen Bee but not in the sense of having sex with her.
COMMENTS