Yesha
Senior Member
- Jan 28, 2026
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The lawsuit was filed by ZimInd Publishers, which publishes NewsDay, The Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard.
According to court papers filed on September 29, 2026, the dispute stems from an all-staff meeting held on March 5, 2026, which was chaired and addressed by Ncube.
The company alleges that employees had been instructed not to use their mobile phones while Ncube was addressing the meeting.
However, ZimInd claims that the employees ignored the instruction and used their phones to communicate with journalists, other media organisations and third parties during and after the meeting.
The company alleges that statements were subsequently circulated on social media platforms, including LinkedIn, accusing ZimInd and Ncube of being “cruel and insensitive” towards employees.
The employees also allegedly claimed that the company was withholding salaries and other monthly dues out of “malice and corruption” and that salary arrears had accumulated through negligence by Ncube and company managers.
ZimInd denies the allegations, describing the statements as false, defamatory and damaging to its reputation.
“The statements are false, untrue and were at all material times known by the Defendants to be false and untrue,” the company says in its court papers.
ZimInd further claims that the statements portrayed the company as an exploitative employer that failed to pay its workers, while portraying Ncube as incompetent, cruel and insensitive.
The publisher says the alleged statements damaged its reputation, goodwill and business standing.
The 36 employees are being sued jointly and severally, with the company seeking US$100,000 in damages, together with interest and legal costs.
In addition to the monetary claim, ZimInd is asking the High Court to order the employees to issue an unconditional public apology and retraction through the same platforms on which the alleged statements were published or circulated.
The company is also seeking an order preventing the employees from publishing or disseminating further statements that it considers defamatory against the company or its chairman.
The lawsuit comes against the background of previous concerns over salary delays at AMH.
In March 2026, Ncube publicly acknowledged that the company had failed to pay its employees on time and apologised to the organisation’s 177 workers. He attributed the financial difficulties to substantial amounts owed to AMH by the government and other clients.
In his public statement at the time, Ncube said delayed salaries affected workers’ rent, school fees and other basic obligations, describing the situation as a matter of dignity rather than simply a cash-flow problem.
The latest court action, however, disputes the employees’ alleged characterisation of the company as being in salary arrears and withholding workers’ dues.
The matter has not yet been heard on the merits.
The employees have been given 10 days from service of the summons, excluding weekends, public holidays and the day of service, to enter an appearance to defend. If they fail to do so, the company may seek to have the matter determined without further notice.
The employees are represented by the Zimbabwe Graphical Workers Union, while ZimInd is represented by Magoge Law.
Source: NewZimbabwe.com, October 5, 2026.