JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Zanu PF activist Benson Rutendo Manyarare has been convicted of contempt of court and jailed for three months by a court in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The sentence was wholly suspended on condition that he does not make further defamatory statements about Innscor Africa and its major shareholder, Zinona Koudounaris.

Justice Gcina Malindi of the Gauteng Division of the High Court found the 46-year-old was in contempt of two judgements by different judges after persisting with a social media campaign of demonizing Innscor and its founder.

The dispute relates to claims posted by Matinyarare on social media last year accusing Innscor of selling GMO foods in Zimbabwe, and also labelling Koudounaris as a “Rhodie”, which means white Rhodesian. Koudounaris is of Greek descent and did not arrive in Zimbabwe until the mid-1980s.

In a ruling on January 9, 2024, Justice Thina Siwendu ordered Matinyarare to take down the defamatory posts on Facebook and X, and to desist from posting any further unsubstantiated claims against Innscor and Koudounaris.

Undeterred, Matinyarare wrote more defamatory posts about Innscor and Koudounaris between February 28 and March 5, 2024.

On March 20, Justice Brad Wanless granted Innscor a second relief against Matinyarare and ordered him to delete any slanderous posts on Innscor and Koudounaris, and to desist from making further offensive posts. That too did not discourage him.

Justice Malindi said Matinyarare was in contempt of both orders as he granted Innscor’s application to have him committed to jail.

“Matinyarare is committed to a period of imprisonment of three months, which committal is suspended on condition that he does not disseminate, directly or indirectly, false and defamatory allegations pertaining to the Innscor Africa and Koudounaris, or in any other manner breach the orders by judges Siwendu and Wanless,” Justice Malindi ruled.

The judge said Matinyarare was also liable for Innscor and Koudounaris’ legal costs “on an attorney client scale, including the costs of two counsel on scale C (maximum rate).”

Matinyarare’s former lawyer Simba Chitando, who represented him for several months in his fight with Innscor, has filed a separate criminal complaint against him in which he says the Zanu PF activist lied to the High Court when he claimed he was unaware of the court judgements against him.

Chitando wants him arrested and charged with perjury. The lawyer also revealed that Matinyarare had informed him that his new lawyers were being paid by controversial tycoon Simon Rudland “because he does not like Koudounaris’ control of the Zimbabwean economy.”