Former guard sues Kriste Mambo

Lovemore Kadzura
THE intriguing battle between Kriste Mambo High and its former security guard, Obert Govha is far from over as he has dragged the school to the High Court demanding $47 000 for defamation, malicious arrest and prosecution.

The battle between Govha and the school emanated from a pupils’ strike that rocked the institution in 2013, with the school authorities accusing him as the source of the unrest. The school instigated Govha’s arrest for theft of school property, indecent sexual assault of school girls and assault. He was, however, acquitted by the courts. The school went on to terminate Govha’s contract of employment and gave him a $5 500 package, but he is arguing that could not mend his injured reputation.

The matter will soon go to the pre-trial conference.

Govha who is represented by Mr Tendai Bvuma of Bvuma and Associates is claiming $30 000 for injured reputation, $10 000 for contumelia, $2 000 for discomfort, $5 000 for deprivation of freedom and $700 for costs incurred while defending the theft charges.

“Sometime in 2013, Kriste Mambo authorities instigated false and malicious theft charges, as well as false sexual harassment, alternatively indecent assault charges against the plaintiff. The defendant wrongfully and maliciously set the law in motion by laying the false charges afore-said and by furnishing to the police information to the effect that the plaintiff had stolen school property.

“The defendant further wrongly and maliciously accused the plaintiff of assaulting two pupils namely Tinotenda Gwiki and Blessing Muchekeni who had visited from St Faith’s Mission, Rusape. When laying these false charges and giving this disinformation, the defendant had no reasonable or probable cause for doing so, nor did they have any reasonable belief in the truth of the information given.

“The said false charges and claims against the plaintiff were widely published to Manicaland Provincial Education as well as Makoni District Education officials, many surrounding schools as well as the media,” read Mr Bvuma’s court papers.