Nyarota sues Jonathan Moyo for $6 million

Geoff Nyarota, editor-in-chief of The Daily News, filed a Z$6 million lawsuit against Information Minister Jonathan Moyo for defamation in July 2002.

He argued that an article which appeared in the June 7, 2002 edition of The Herald under headline “Moyo files lawsuit against Sikhala, Daily News” was insulting.

The Daily News had published a story in which opposition Member of Parliament Job Sikhala alleged that Moyo had a homosexual relationship with former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Chief Executive Officer Alum Mpofu.

Moyo rebutted the story in The Herald on June 7 and was quoted as saying: “Nyarota is a disgraceful pervert whose indecency and vulgarity has gone too far, all in a morally corrupt crusade to win dubious international media awards.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE1729, MEDIA REPORT- EDITOR SUES INFORMATION MINISTER;

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 001729

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KPAO ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT- EDITOR SUES INFORMATION MINISTER;

HARARE

¶1.   Geoff Nyarota, Editor-in-Chief of the independent

daily “The Daily News,” has filed a Z$6 million lawsuit

against Information and Publicity Minister Professor

Jonathan Moyo for defamation. Nyarota has also slapped the

editor of the government-controlled daily “The Herald,”

Pikirayi Deketeke, with a similar lawsuit for publishing a

defamatory article. Nyarota argues that the article in

question, which appeared in the June 7, 2002 edition of The

Herald under headline “Moyo files lawsuit against Sikhala,

Daily News,” is insulting.

¶2.   The matter arose after The Daily News first published

a story detailing court testimony in which opposition

Member of Parliament Job Sikhala alleged that Minister Moyo

had a homosexual relationship with former Zimbabwe

Broadcasting Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Alum

Mpofu. Minister Moyo rebutted the controversial Daily News

story in The Herald on June 7. Moyo is quoted in the

Herald story saying: “Nyarota is a disgraceful pervert

whose indecency and vulgarity has gone too far, all in a

morally corrupt crusade to win dubious international media

awards.” In his papers filed with the High court, Nyarota

said that the article suggested that he is an

“unprincipled, unscrupulous, and unprofessional man who

would do anything to win an award.”

SULLIVAN

(46 VIEWS)