A medical doctor Lenon Gwaunza, who once grabbed headlines for asking out CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere has been slapped with US$100 000 in damages over defamatory social posts he made against a fellow doctor on social media and by reporting his qualifications as dubious.
Gwaunza allegedly claimed top neurologist Andrew Mataruse had dubious qualifications in a letter to the Medical and Dental Profession Council of Zimbabwe, allegations which were later found to be baseless.
Mataruse has engaged a prominent lawyer Admire Rubaya to help him repair his reputation injured by Gwaunza’s allegations.
“On or about 8 July, 2021 you wrote a letter to the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Profession Council of Zimbabwe (herein after called “the MDPCZ”) wherein you questioned our client’s neurology qualifications and called them dubious.
“We are further advised that you made serious allegations that our client is an imposter who was misrepresenting, to the generality of patients and colleagues in the medical fraternity, that he is a Neurologist.
“In essence, you maliciously and falsely claimed that our client is a fraudster in circumstances where you knew very well that our client is adequately qualified to be called a neurologist.
“The above statements are not only defamatory and untrue but same are very malicious,” Mataruse’s lawyer Admire Rubaya wrote.
Gwaunza allegedly took his allegations to Twitter.
“Further, you have reiterated your defamatory remarks through your Twitter handle, @lgwaunza, in particular, on 20th August, 2021 wherein you seriously quizzed our client’s qualifications and demeaned his ability to practice as a neurologist.
“The widely published tweets that you posted have global reach and they have seriously damaged his major asset which is goodwill and trading brand. Put differently, the publications of the various statements which you made about questionable medical qualifications are malicious and injurious.
“Our client’s reputation has been severely damaged which has consequently had a negative impact on his cliental base. As you are obviously aware, as a specialist in Zimbabwe, our client relies on referrals from fellow colleagues and other medical professionals all of which is hinged on good and reliable reputation. Our client has the real tisk of incurting quantifiable financial losses.
“Our client advises us that he is now on the verge of losing many lucrative contracts as the various publications have cast him in a bad light,” his lawyerwrote.
Mataruse holds several qualifications and supervised Gwaunza for him to be a specialist and according to his lawyer, him questioning Mataruse’s qualifications is self destructive as he is called specialist by virtue of supervision by a person whom he labels dubious.
“Our client holds additional qualification in Master of Science Clinical Neurology from the University College of London (UCL) in 2017 and that qualification is duly registered with the MDPCZ. As you should be obviously aware, University College of London, which operates as “UCL”, is a major public research university located in London, United Kingdom;
“Our client attained an additional qualification of Specialist Certificate Neurology from the Royal College of Physicians (UK) in 2019 which qualification is registered with the MDPCZ; and
“Dr. Mataruse further attained an additional qualification of Fellow of European Board of Neurology from the European Board of Neurology (EBN) in July 2021 and these were submitted for registration with MDPCZ.
“It is our client’s considered view that you knew very well or ought to have known that these qualifications were not dished out at a political rally but were awarded to him on merit from reputable Universities and Examination Boards after our client had completed a rigorous examination process,” the letter read.
“When you made those false allegations, you knew very well that our client had successfully supervised and mentored you on attitude, knowledge and clinical neurology for the whole year of 2020 whilst you were working at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH) (Neurology Clinic, Medical wards and Stroke Unit),” the letter added.
The Medical and Dental Profession Council of Zimbabwe has since authenticated Mataruse’s qualifications.
“Regarding the allegations of dubious qualifications, be advised that your qualifications were duly assessed by Council through the Education and Liaison Committee of Council which approved the qualifications as recognized additional qualifications that warrant specialist registration as a Neurologist.
“Regarding the issue of you being an unqualified supervisor, Council indeed appointed you as a qualified supervisor to supervise a Senior Registrar based on your competence,” reads part of the letter from the registrar Josephine Mwakutuya dated August 1 2022.
Mataruse wants Gwaunza to retract his statements to the same board he wrote to.
“. . .our instructions are to demand, as we hereby do, the publication of a full, unconditional and unreserved withdrawal of these defamatory statements and the related imputations together with an expression of – regret on the same within forty eight (48) hours of receiving this letter as well as a letter of regret to the MDPCZ Council withdrawing all the allegations you have raised against him.
“Additionally, our client demands the payment of US$100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand United States of American Dollars) as damages for defamation within five (5) days of this letter. In the event that you fail to retract the defamatory statements and pay the sum of US$100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand United States of American Dollars), as demanded, our client shall proceed to issue Summons and claim damages for defamation without any further notice to you,” his lawyer wrote.