Online Reporter
Peter Matika
PROMINENT lawyer and opposition politician Welshman Ncube has been left red-faced after his law firm filed court documents riddled with fake legal citations generated by Artificial Intelligence, sparking a storm in the Supreme Court.
Ncube, through his firm Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers, represented Pulserate Investments in the case Pulserate Investments (Pvt) Ltd v Andrew Zuze and Others [SC202/25]. However, things quickly went south when it emerged that twelve cited cases in the Heads of Argument were either non-existent or completely irrelevant.
In a grovelling letter dated July 3, 2025, addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Ncube issued a full-blown apology, pleading with the court to forgive the embarrassing error.
“I wish to express my profound regret and apology to the Court for the citation of defective and non-existent cases. I take full and unequivocal responsibility,” wrote Ncube, who admitted failing to verify the authorities supplied by a junior researcher.
According to Ncube, the researcher used AI to source legal references but failed to cross-check their authenticity. “It never occurred to me that a graduate researcher could present non-existent and defective case law authorities. His response was that he had used Artificial Intelligence and did not verify the material,” said Ncube.
He insisted the mistake was not deliberate and denied any attempt to mislead the court.
“These grievous errors were not deliberate or motivated by any intention to mislead. Rather, they represent a catastrophic lapse in professional judgment,” he admitted, adding that the incident was personally humiliating.
Legal circles are buzzing over the rare and controversial incident which has thrown a spotlight on the unregulated use of AI in the legal profession.
Ncube closed his letter with a final plea: “I humbly submit this sincere apology to the Court as well as to Counsel for 1st Respondent who had to endure the agony of verifying non-existent and non-supportive cases.”
The case continues but the damage to Ncube’s once-pristine courtroom reputation may already be done.
