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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Obert Mpofu has withdrawn his challenge against a High Court order compelling him to pay defamation damages to the tune of US$2 000 to a mining commissioner. In 2011, Minister Mpofu, who was the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, was ordered to pay US$2 000 while Zimpapers, which published the defamatory statements and former Chronicle editor Brezhnev Malaba were ordered to pay a total of US$4 000 to the same commissioner, Mr Byl Manyange.
Minister Mpofu had filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court contesting the High Court judgment, but his lawyers filed a notice of withdrawal with the same court.
His lawyers Mutamangira and Associates did not give any reasons for the withdrawal, but it means Minister Mpofu would now pay the damages.
Mr Manyange sued Minister Mpofu and Malaba for US$30 000, but former High Court judge Justice Bharat Patel slashed the claim to US$6 000, with Minister Mpofu being asked to pay US$2 000 while Malaba and Zimpapers were ordered to pay US$4 000.
The civil claim was instituted after the Chronicle published articles which insinuated that Mr Manyange was a corrupt mining commissioner.
In March and April 2009, the Chronicle published several articles insinuating that Mr Manyange had been transferred from Kadoma to Bulawayo because of corruption.
Minister Mpofu was found to be the source of the Chronicle articles.
Mr Manyange indicated that he complained to the Chronicle when the articles were published, but did not find any joy.
He told the court that the paper did not seek his comment on the matter before publishing the stories.
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