Lawyer and author Petinah Gappah has publicly apologised to advocate and former MP Fadzayi Mahere over “defamatory comments” she made about her on social media sometime in September 2018.
Mahere, who felt extremely offended by the remarks and took the matter to court under case number HC9390/18, is also demanding US$1 million in damages.
Posting on her X account on Monday, Gappah says she has decided to unreservedly retract the statement and apologise to Mahere.
“I am pleased to share below a public retraction and apology to Advocate Fadzayi Mahere for comments I made about her back in September 2018.
“In September 2018, following a public spat on X, I posted a number of statements about Advocate Fadzayi Mahere noting that she got into the University of Zimbabwe through the help of her father in 2004; she was an intern in The Hague in 2009, that she attempted to ‘get into [the] pants’ of the father of my son after he asked me to help her with her application to Cambridge University, and that I helped her to get into Cambridge by editing her application essay in October 2009,” reads the statement.
As an act of penitence, Gappah also highlighted that she looks forward to donating to a charity of Mahere’s choice and wish her continued success in her political career and her legal career.
Early this year High Court judge, Justice Jacob Mafusire threw out Gappah’s application seeking recusal in the matter.
Mahere is yet to respond to Gappah’s request for a truce. — NewsDay