HARARE – A senior lawyer has expressed strong dismay over a complaint filed against him by prominent legal practitioner and opposition politician Fadzayi Mahere with the Law Society of Zimbabwe, describing the matter as “farcical” and “trifling.”
In a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Law Society of Zimbabwe, the lawyer, who presides over the Justice Bar of Advocates, Inns of Court, at Tanganyika House, dismissed Mahere’s complaint, arguing that it was improperly handled and should have been resolved informally.
“It is with a modicum of dismay that the first knowledge I garnered of this complaint was via the highly public and unfortunately informal social media,” he stated.
“Maybe because I am young, but I thought that it is in the interests of procedural propriety for such matters to remain between the relevant parties.”
The lawyer further criticised Mahere’s decision to escalate the matter to the Law Society instead of addressing it with him directly, considering their professional proximity.
“Given this proximity, one might reasonably surmise that had Fadzayi Mahere harboured any concerns, she would have availed herself of the professional courtesy of addressing them directly with me prior to taking recourse with the regulatory body which has more important issues to deal with.”
The complaint reportedly stems from a conversation in a WhatsApp group, with Mahere allegedly citing screenshots as evidence. However, the lawyer dismissed this as inadequate, arguing that only the production of the original screenshot, complete with its meta-data, would be considered a substantive response.
“The legal practitioner involved ought to have been well aware that any meaningful and substantive response to her complaint necessitates the production of the original WhatsApp screenshot, complete with its meta-data since she predicates her complaint on mere copies of the alleged screenshot, which in their current form, fail to permit an inspection of their veracity,” he argued.
The dispute has sparked debate within the legal fraternity, with some arguing that the matter should have been resolved privately. Others, however, believe Mahere had the right to formally raise her concerns through the Law Society.
As the case unfolds, the Law Society of Zimbabwe is expected to determine whether Mahere’s complaint holds merit and if further action is warranted.
