Parties: Mr Kangai v/s Mining Zimbabwe Magazine (March 2022)

Nature of the Complaint

The Mining Zimbabwe Magazine approached the VMCZ Media Complaints Committee to help them solve in an amicable manner the articles they published on 10 and 11 March 2022 about Mr Ralph Kangai. In a letter brought to the MCC by Mining Zimbabwe Magazine, through their lawyers the Kachere Legal Practitioners, states that their client Mr Kangai has instituted legal action against them over a story citing him as a controversial businessman and the story also indicates that he had been caught in another controversy yet throughout the story there is no mention of any previous controversies. Mr Kangai complains that the Mining Magazine Zimbabwe did not give a balanced report and it also gave a political connotation to the whole story by falsely misrepresenting their client Mr Kangai as the son of a deceased Zanu PF official in order to create the impression that he is part of the corrupt and rich elite.

Mr Kangai says the publications are false and highly defamatory of him as an ethical family man and an honest businessman. Mr Kangai says the publication of false stories has already negatively impacted his relations with his clients and other businessmen who are now skeptical to transact with him.

Mr Kangai is demanding an urgent retraction of the false stories and placing in equally prominent spaces and places, such retraction. He says Mining Zimbabwe Magazine should remove the defamatory stories on various online platforms including, but not limited to Facebook, and should pay US$100 000 for defamation damages within a period of seven days of receipt of the letter.

Procedure: Full Adjudication of the Matter

A meeting of the Media Complaints Committee was convened with the parties. The Committee highlighted the request from Mining Zimbabwe for Mr Kangai to drop the defamation charges and proceed through the VMCZ Complaints Mechanism. Mr Kangai conceded to proceeding through the VMCZ self-regulation complaints mechanism but only on condition that Mining Zimbabwe cover the legal costs he has incurred in the matter so far.

Status: Finalised

After consultations Mining Zimbabwe indicated that they were not in a position to cover Mr Kangai’s legal costs he has incurred so far in the matter. VMCZ Media Complaints Committee while leaving the door open for Mining Zimbabwe Magazine to reconsider their position, was left with no choice but to drop the matter off the register and allow Mr Kangai to pursue the legal route.