By Investigations Correspondent | Johannesburg, 25 June 2025 — A legal bombshell has erupted in the Masiwa Wellington (alias Nyokayemabhunu) case, as Malalhela & Co. Attorneys, the firm representing him, has released a series of damning statements exposing YouTuber and Uebert Angel associate Pardon Gambakwe for playing a deeply conflicted and potentially unlawful role in the ongoing saga.
In a series of formal legal letters dated between May and June 2025, the firm reveals that:
- Gambakwe Handpicked Lawyers for the Same Man He Publicly Framed
The attorneys confirm that Mr. Pardon Gambakwe personally approached and instructed them to take on the case of Wellington Masiwa—just days after he had, on 20 March 2025, publicly made statements falsely alleging Masiwa’s ties to military activities and misrepresented his finances. These public statements, made on Gambakwe’s platforms, contributed to a cascade of events culminating in Masiwa’s detention on 13 April.
The implication is severe: the same individual who triggered public suspicion and media framing of Masiwa was secretly directing his legal defense, thereby breaching ethical boundaries and contaminating the legal process.
- Gambakwe Is Providing “Security” to Lawyers—Raising Alarm Bells on His Civilian Status
Malalhela & Co.’s letter further admits that Gambakwe “has ensured that the lawyers are safe, attending court, and present.” Legal observers are questioning how a civilian, who claims to be a journalist and YouTuber, is providing security for lawyers in a high-profile case unless he is involved in some form of state-linked or intelligence function.
This revelation has sparked fears that Gambakwe may be operating as a double agent—publicly claiming to support justice and human rights while operating behind the scenes in state security or political interests aligned with Uebert Angel and the Zimbabwean regime.
Already Gambakwe has played multiple roles including a dodgy housing scheme that left many homeless
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AY4Xtwaxy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Over R20,000 Collected by Gambakwe Not Accounted For
The attorneys confirm they received R20,175 from Mr. Gambakwe, but note that they have no reconciliation or control over how much in total he collected from the public. All other funds Gambakwe may have solicited are not registered through the trust account and remain undocumented.
This lack of transparency has led to suspicions of possible fund misappropriation and fraud, as the law firm strictly reiterated: “Do not pay funds to any individual or unauthorized collector.”
- Funds Collected Outside the Legal Channel Remain Missing
The firm raised alarm over other individuals not mandated by them soliciting public funds under the pretense of helping Masiwa. Only two verified payments were received—one from Gambakwe and the other from an associate, Godwin Zivavose, who introduced Advocate Cheryl Sjöberg.
The rest of the funds, if collected, have not been declared, tracked, or deposited into the law firm’s official account.
- Gambakwe Linked to Ouster of Zimbabwean Lawyer Machingura
The final shocking development is that Zimbabwean lawyer Chrispen Machingura, who initially stepped forward to assist Masiwa, was later pushed out of the case. The law firm confirms Machingura is no longer part of the legal team and “is not authorized to act further.”
Legal sources suspect Gambakwe’s influence was instrumental in sidelining Machingura, a known independent actor, in favor of a more pliable legal framework tied to South African networks and intelligence-linked figures. This aligns with a broader effort to control the Masiwa case narrative and legal trajectory.
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Case Now Under Cloud of Compromised Integrity
The public is now being warned to stop sending funds to any individual other than the law firm’s trust account. The revelations raise critical questions about infiltration, manipulation, and fund misappropriation in the name of activism and justice.
Masiwa Wellington, the man at the center of this controversy, remains under legal pressure—while the YouTuber who once framed him appears entangled in both his prosecution and defense.
Gambakwe was contacted for comment.
Earlier in May 2025, Gambakwe admitted that he potentially misrepresented the incarcerated activist, and during a phonecall with ZimEye that was broadcast, he admitted and saying he would look into rectifying over statements he uttered on 20 March that directly implicate Wellington Masiwa on many things including an urgent plea for political financing due to coffers that were dwindling.
But later on 29 May, Gambakwe issued a contrary statement this time saying, he refuses to address his statements. He said he did not at all plant words into Masiwa’s mouth. He added saying this is because according to him, Masiwa already R1million in his bank account. (Click to read and listen to him speaking –
Pardon Gambakwe says: I didn’t plant words into Nyoka’s mouth or do money laundering, because Nyoka already had R1 Million in his account on 20 March. https://www.zimeye.net/2025/05/29/pardon-gambakwe-says-i-didnt-plant-words-into-nyokas-mouth-or-do-money-laundering-because-nyoka-already-had-r1-million-in-his-account-on-20-march/. )
The development comes at a time many in the civil society accused him as a ChiGananda, a corrupt person, bent on chopping other people’s money and lives.
“…Activism against the government inenge iribusiness inokuwanisayi mari isu tichifunga kuti murikurwira ruzhinji with utmost good faith…,” said X user @ChazingwaThree.
A previous housing scheme Gambakwe ran in 2023, left many people homeless and demanding their refunds alleging they were scammed by him (watch video
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AY4Xtwaxy/?mibextid=wwXIfr. )
Human rights monitors have called for a full inquiry into Gambakwe’s role, the alleged intelligence connections, and the integrity of the legal proceedings.
This is a developing story.