Staff writer
PROMINENT Harare lawyer Wellington Magaya has lodged a formal complaint against the independent newspaper, The Standard, under the Alpha Media stable, with the Zimbabwe Media Commission for investigations into a malicious report recently published regarding the legal practitioner.
Magaya, who serves as the legal adviser for the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), was recently defamed by the publication, which aired unverified allegations without affording him the opportunity to respond.
“The story contains false allegations against me. The newspaper never contacted me for a response before publishing the story. They did not contact me even after it was published. I understand that journalists are obliged to provide balanced stories,” Magaya said in his complaint, dated 20 February 2025.
In The Standard article, the reporter claimed that Magaya was conflicted, stating that some members of the ZRCS had reported him to the Law Society of Zimbabwe, alleging that his involvement in the humanitarian organisation’s operations was potentially compromising his impartiality.
However, Magaya stated that he was not given the opportunity to clarify these issues before the story was published.
“If they had contacted me, I would have been able to demonstrate that the allegations are entirely false and without foundation. The story is based on a report made against me to the Law Society of Zimbabwe by unnamed individuals. I only received the complaint from the Law Society after the publication of the story,” Magaya explained.
“The fact that the report had not been served to me when the newspaper published the story makes it all the more crucial that they contact me for my comment,” he added.
Magaya also confirmed that he had written to the newspaper, requesting a retraction of a story on his client, ZRCS, but the publication had refused.
“The newspaper had, in the previous week, published a story about my client, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, and I sent them a letter of demand asking for a retraction of the article as it was completely false. They responded on 12 February 2025, refusing to retract. The newspaper did not even follow up with a story after my client had provided them with the correct facts,” Magaya continued.
“The only conclusion is that the story (about him) was a deliberate attempt to tarnish my reputation because I demanded a retraction of the initial story on behalf of my client. I find this behaviour to be highly unethical and an abuse of the privilege to publish news in the public interest,” he said.
Magaya has asked the Zimbabwe Media Commission to investigate the matter and direct the newspaper to retract the false story and remove it from all its online platforms.
The newspaper has been serialising malicious stories about the ZRCS, making unfounded accusations without giving the parties involved the chance to respond. These claims are widely believed to be fabricated by disgruntled former employees.
No immediate response could be obtained from Alpha Media Holdings.