The High Court of Zimbabwe has ordered the attachment of property belonging to lawyer and former Mt Pleasant legislator Fadzayi Mahere valued at about US$33 395 following a defamation lawsuit filed by the Minister of Youth, Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tinoda Machakaire.
Nehanda Radio understands Mahere is fighting back and has filed an application for review and an urgent stay of execution.
Court documents show that a writ of execution was issued in case number HCH 3394/25 directing the Sheriff of Zimbabwe to attach Mahere’s movable property to satisfy the amount due to Machakaire.
The order authorises the attachment of goods belonging to Mahere to recover US$33 395, or the equivalent in local currency at the interbank rate on the date of payment, together with taxed legal costs and other charges.
According to the writ, the amount arises from a judgement granted in favour of Machakaire on 3 March 2026, with the order issued under the authority of Chief Justice Luke Malaba and stamped by the High Court’s Civil Division in Harare on 7 March 2026.
The documents further state that if sufficient movable assets cannot be located, the Sheriff may proceed to attach immovable property belonging to the defendant to satisfy the judgment debt.
The writ followed a notice of taxation issued earlier by the court setting down the matter for the assessment of legal costs against Mahere in the same case.
The dispute stems from events in July 2025 when Machakaire threatened legal action against Mahere over posts she made on X (formerly Twitter).
In the posts, Mahere allegedly questioned Machakaire about a purported US$8 million tax evasion case linked to vehicle importation that she suggested had been investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
Machakaire’s lawyers, Prichard Attorneys, acting in his personal capacity, accused Mahere of making false, defamatory and malicious allegations that implied the minister was corrupt and had used public funds to acquire luxury vehicles.
The legal team argued that Mahere’s questions, combined with the statement “we need new leaders,” created an insinuation that Machakaire was dishonest and involved in corrupt activities.
They demanded that Mahere issue a public apology and retract the statements both in a widely circulated Zimbabwean newspaper and on her X account, which has hundreds of thousands of followers.
The lawyers also contended that as a legal practitioner, Mahere had a duty to verify allegations before making public statements that could harm another person’s reputation.
Machakaire’s legal representatives warned that failure to retract the statements would result in legal action under defamation laws, ultimately leading to the High Court proceedings that produced the latest writ of execution.
