HARARE – Former National Social Security Authority (NSSA) boss Robin Tendai Vela is suing The Herald deputy news editor Africa Moyo for $2,5 million claiming he was defamed in two articles published in November.

Vela is also separately claiming the same amount from NSSA board chairman, Cuthbert Chidoori, who was allegedly interviewed by Moyo before publication of the two stories.

The former NSSA boss says his reputation as a Catholic, businessman and chartered accountant has been tarnished following publication of the two articles.

“The plaintiff’s reputation and standing, being a chartered accountant, investment banker and businessman of global acclaim has been significantly impaired in the eyes of the public. His reputation in commercial circles as an upstanding man of probity both locally and abroad has been decimated,” Vela’s lawyers Chambati, Mataka and Makonese Attorneys at Law said in summons filed at the High Court on Wednesday.

“The defendant (Moyo) published his defamatory statements in the Herald newspaper which is widely distributed in Zimbabwe and widely read by the general public. Further, The Herald operates a website accessible to the entire world and consequently distributed on the world-wide web.”

Vela said the first story was published on November 18, 2019.

Also cited as respondents in the lawsuit filed against Moyo are William Chikoto, The Herald’s acting editor and Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited popularly known as (Zimpapers).

He said the contents of the article in which The Herald quoted Chidoori are false, defamatory and misleading.

Said Vela’s lawyers: “Chidoori said that NSSA made questionable investments under the watch of Vela’s board in which questionable investments prejudiced the interests of the pensioners. Chidoori said as a direct result of the questionable investments, the then minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Petronella Kagonye in February 2018 imposed a moratorium on investment which moratorium resulted in the value of US$150 million in cash holdings being eroded by inflation.’

Vela said it was false that he did not execute due diligence prior to making certain investments that resulted in loss on some investments.

Chidoori is also being sued for allegedly saying that “massive irregularities, some of which have turned out to be outright criminal” were perpetrated at NSSA while Vela’s board was in charge.

He said that during the tenure of Vela’s board there were five key areas beset with serious irregularities namely information and communication technology, properties, investments, human resources and corporate governance. Chidoori added that during the tenure of Vela’s board, a forensic report revealed that organisations and individuals within and outside NSSA plundered resources.

According to Vela, another article was published on November 25 this year.

It was titled, “NSSA saddled with bills over idle ICT system,” and was again written by Moyo.

According to the summons, it was written in the article that Vela’s board procured an information technology system from Twenty Third Century Systems (TTCS) for US$10,4 million which ICT system worked just for two years and is now lying idle.

The article also said that though the ICT system is not functional, NSSA is still saddled with bills of up to US$10 million from TTCS.

Vela said all the statements Chidoori made were understood by readers to mean that he is a corrupt and incompetent person and were false.

The case is yet to be set down for hearing.