Medical doctor Lennon Gwaunza convicted of cyberbullying

Benyure, who was the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe, testified under oath that he was representing the council in criminal proceedings, knowing this was false.

Prosper Dembedza

Herald Correspondent

A 40-year-old specialist neurologist has been convicted after he was found guilty of wrongfully claiming that another neurologist was not qualified to do the job.

Lennon Tonderai Gwaunza was facing charges of contravening the Data Protection Act and is on US$100 bail.

In convicting Gwaunza, Harare magistrate Mr Tawedzerwa Zishiri said the State led by District Public Prosecutor Mr Tafara Chirambira managed to prove a prima facie case against the accused.

In mitigation, Gwaunza said he was a first-time offender who has apologised for the act.

In aggravation, Mr Chirambira said a custodial sentence would be too harsh, adding that the court should fine the accused person.

The matter was deferred to January 20, 2025, for sentencing.

It is the State’s case that the complainant Andrew Mataruse practices clinical neurology and internal medicine as a specialist physician.

He is registered under the specialist physician register PHY 700207 with the Medical and Dental Practitioners of Zimbabwe.

Mataruse holds several qualifications in the field and is a fellow of several international institutions.

The court heard that on February 13, 2022, Gwaunza unlawfully generated a message using his email address saying: “I was volunteering at Pari and I have from immediate effect relinquished that role, so I will be unable to supervise Dr Mushawarima. Secondly, Dr Mushawarima is a fully-fledged neurologist who doesn’t need to be supervised by myself or by Dr Mataruse who isn’t a clinically-trained neurologist.

“However, the council feels that it’s in Dr Mushawarima’s interest that he is supervised by someone who has never seen the entrance of a neurology training centre. Please, by all means, go ahead. I will not be involved in that circus,” reads the email.

Gwaunza then shared the email message with several individuals in the medical field.

The court heard that Gwaunza intended to intimidate and harass the complainant into desisting from clinical neurology at his surgery in Milton Park, Harare.