Mahere, in her letter to the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ), argued that Chirambwe’s comments amounted to sexual harassment, adding that his behaviour had been ongoing.

However, in a letter dated February 10, 2024, Chirambwe denied making the comments, arguing that Mahere should provide a forensic report linking his mobile device to the alleged messages.

He questioned the validity of the claims and requested concrete proof before he could respond further. Below is Chirambwe’s letter to LSZ:

1. The above matter refers and the complaint which borders on the farcical.

2. It is with a modicum of dismay that the first knowledge I garnered of this complaint was via the highly public and unfortunately informal social media. Maybe because I am young, but I thought that it is in the interests of procedural propriety for such matters to remain between the relevant parties.

3. It never entered my contemplation that Fadzai Mahere would take the audacious step of submitting such an unadorned, disjointed and bare “complaint” to the hallowed regulatory body entrusted with overseeing the integrity of our entire profession, the Law Society.

4. The action is, with due respect, a lamentable spectacle, wherein a matter of questionable import is artificially inflated to a procedural level that, to a reasonable observer, appears to be an overt affront to the professionalism and gravitas that the Law Society commands.

5. In light of this, one is left to ponder whether the public, by virtue of this conduct, is not only disillusioned but, indeed, wholly justified in questioning the esteem and dignity that should ostensibly characterize our profession.

6. I am young. Fadzai Mahere’s name was first brought to my attention during my tenure in secondary school. Upon the completion of my academic pursuits, our professional paths converged, placing us as colleagues within the very same precincts.

7. We are both occupants of distinguished spaces within the esteemed Tanganyika House, where I, as the proprietor and chairman of the Justice Bar of Advocates, Inns of Court, preside from the 3rd floor, whilst she is elsewhere within the confines of the same building.

8. Our professional proximity is further utilization of the same parking facilities, wherein our vehicles are underscored by our mutual often stationed adjacent to one another, and our frequent and amicable interactions in the lift, where salutations are customarily exchanged.

9. Given this proximity, one might reasonably surmise that had Fadzai Mahere harbored any concerns, she would have availed herself of the professional courtesy of addressing them directly with me prior to taking recourse with the regulatory body which has more important issues to deal with.

10. Such an approach would have yielded a more congenial resolution, sparing parties from undue escalation, copying Advocate David Ochieng and Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba. I have so much respect for Advocate Magwaliba who assiduously addresses and responds to the myriad inquiries I have proffered to him concerning matters of law whilst generously endowing me with an extensive repository of legal knowledge. I regret that they have been burdened with receipt of such a barren matter.

11. It is with this background that I find the current complaint somewhat perplexing. It seems that the crux of Fadzai Mahere’s complaint stems from certain screenshots of the 15th of January 2025, allegedly capturing a conversation within a Whatsapp Group.

12. An overture was duly extended to Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba, undertaken in the spirit of mediation, with the understanding that the complaint at hand is, in my considered view, a manifest absurdity and, quite frankly, a matter so trifling as to border on the farcical.

13. The legal practitioner involved ought to have been well aware that any meaningful and substantive response to her complaint necessitates the production of the original WhatsApp screenshot, complete with its meta data, since she predicates her complaint on mere copies of the alleged screenshot, which in their current form, fail to permit an inspection of their veracity.

14. It is like being asked to give an opinion on a mystery novel, but not reading past the cover page.

15. She will also appreciate that the nature of her complaint cannot be reasonably addressed in the absence of a full and unaltered transcript of the WhatsApp conversation, inclusive of all preceding and subsequent messages that contextualize the incident. As a matter of law, she must duly provide the meta data concerning the precise date and time of her joining the group and of her departure from the group, along with verifiable evidence that substantiates the purported reason she cites for her exit.

16. Maybe because I am young, but it is like being told to write a review for a movie that you haven’t seen and the trailer was just a blur!

17. Further, to the best of my recollection, I have never, under any circumstances or in any WhatsApp exchange anywhere in this world, made any reference to Fadzai Mahere. She must therefore be cognizant of the fact that I cannot, in a good faith response, respond to her allegations without her first establishing a clear causal link between the screenshot and her person. Before one responds to a ghost story, they must verify if the ghost even exists. This is dry law and reason.

18. I am blissfully united in matrimony with my dearest Mukudzei, a woman of remarkable accomplishments and grace. As the Chief Operations Officer of Joshange (Pvt) Ltd, Chairlady of Joshua Resorts and Vice President of Prophetic Ministries International Church, she exemplifies excellence in her professional achievements, she is a dedicated legal practitioner who, by choice, has endeavors. Beyond her corporate embraced the role of nurturing our two cherished children, Beyonce and Chloe. In light of my union with my beloved wife, Mukudzei, I perceive no cause to seek the companionship of another woman.

19. Given the gravity of her allegations against me, it is essential that the requested be furnished to surrounding her departure can be scrutinized in full, and the alleged ensure that the circumstances rationale for her exit can be properly assessed in the context of the present complaint.

20. Maybe because I am young, though I must assert, with the utmost clarity, that my ability to competently address the allegation in question is contingent upon Fadzai Mahere’s establishment of a discernible legal foundation. This includes, but is identification of the specific actions directed at her or addressed to not limited to, the precise her being proffered as constituting sexual harassment, coupled with the comprehensive reference to any pertinent statutory definitions or legal provisions that underpin such an accusation. I cannot be expected to explain a dream that I never had, hence a causal link must be established.

21. Perhaps Fadzai Mahere has misjudged my character and disposition. I am a paragon of unwavering resolve, a man of riches and unbounded courage, unshaken by the presence of any individual, whether they be living or the departed, such that had I harbored any intention to proffer my affections towards her, I would have approached her directly unencumbered by any apprehension, given arrangements and frequent cordial exchanges in the lift. our approximate parking.

22. Even in this instance, such an overture cannot, in and of itself, constitute sexual harassment. As a legal practitioner, she is well aware that any expression of interest by a man is inherently subject to her discretion to either say [1] YES, or [2] NO. Like Viola in Twelfth Night, Act 1, scene 5. But, verily, I possess no desire nor affection for Fadzai Mahere, forsooth, mine heart is pledged unto my fair wife, with whom I share a bounty of love and devotion even in the wake of this complaint, as a man bound by marriage’s sacred vow.

23. Fadzai Mahere must also be aware as a legal practitioner that I cannot meaningfully respond to her allegation without her furnishing a forensic report to demonstrate that my mobile device was indeed the source of the screenshot on the alleged day. Given that WhatsApp operates on a global scale and is not under the jurisdiction of any single nation, including Zimbabwe, it is crucial to trace the message to the specific device, including the IP address, to confirm its origin. Absent this report, her allegation is speculative and lacking in credibility. like being told that I cooked a meal that I never ordered; I am just as It’s confused as everyone else is. This is the dance that she says I choreographed when I never even made it to the studio!

24. Without the specifics demanded herein, any attempt on my part to respond would be nothing short of an exercise where one attempts to navigate through an impenetrable fog of ambiguity, where no discernible path exists.