HCC demands retraction of “malicious” article

MDC Councillors pay bribes to get university admission, varsity worker fired – The Zimbabwe Mail — Clr Denford Ngadziore

Audrey Galawu

Lawyers for a Harare councillor have written to a prominent national daily newspaper demanding a retraction for an article published which alleged the councillor was involved in shoddy land deals.

Kajokoto and Company said the story, headlined: “Massive Harare Looting exposed” was a malicious attempt to discredit their client, Clr Denford Ngadziore, and therefore should be retracted within 48 hours in two consecutive editions. The article appeared in The Herald of December 24 and according to Kajokoto and Company, it further alleged Ngadziore had been arrested for the alleged crime.

In a letter dated December 29, 2022, the lawyers said the article harmed their client’s reputation, diminishing his standing in the eyes of ordinary members of the general public.

“The contents of your publication clearly intended to be understood by the readers of your paper to mean that our client is involved in corrupt land looting where he would buy land for a song and resell the same at an inflated rate.

“It is our client’s contention that the article was meant to tarnish his image and representation as a sitting Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Councilor,” reads the letter.

Kajokoto also said the subsequent events arising from the reckless and malicious publication further harmed the CCC Councilor’s client’s reputation as Radio Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation further broadcasted the false accusations covering a wide scope of viewers and listeners in and out of Zimbabwe.