BY STEPHEN CHADENGA
A GWERU-BASED land developer, River Valley Properties (Pvt) Ltd is demanding $20 000 from 16 Zimbabwe Alloys workers as defamation charges after they allegedly accused the developer of defrauding them in a botched land deal.
River Valley Properties, through its lawyers Mahuni and Mutatu Attorneys accuses Ranganai Sithole and 15 others of tarnishing the image of the company by allegedly peddling falsehoods.
The company which delivered the demand letter on Monday gave the ZimAlloys employees two weeks to pay the money failure which legal proceedings will be instituted.
“We have it on good authority that sometime in the year 2018, you peddled lies against our client that it had defrauded your money for residential stands,” the lawyers wrote.
“You went on to press fraud charges against our client and a docket was opened at ZRP Gweru Central reference number CR 63/03/18. Our client’s good name and reputation was, as a result of your fake and malicious allegations, tarnished and defamed. As a result of your conduct, our client lost business in the sum of US$ 20 000.”
Added the lawyers: “That money must be paid within two weeks of receipt of this letter, failure which we shall institute proceedings against you without further notice.”
Meanwhile, the land developer through the same lawyers has given Masvingo-based newspaper Mirror 48 hours to retract stories the paper published when the Land Commission made enquiries into the sale of State land against the company last month alleging that the reports were not factual.
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“Our client’s representatives advise that your Midlands reporter (name given) is making inaccurate reports concerning our client in the ongoing (land) commission of enquiry exercise,” the lawyers said.
“The reports according to our client are meant to tarnish its image and are also defamatory. Our instructions are to take legal action against yourself (Mirror editor), the paper and your reporter. Before we do that we wish to know if you stand by your reports and if not we ask you to publicly correct them.”
The lawyers added: “If we do not hear from you within 48 hours (by yesterday) of service of this letter we will assume that you stand by your reports in which case we will proceed in terms of our client’s instructions without further notice to yourselves.”
