OUR REF: AR/EC/psm
(Please quote this reference when replying)
YOUR REF:
Her Excellency, Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa
First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe House
8 Chancellor Avenue
HARARE
Your Excellency,
RE: APOLOGY AND CLARIFICATION – KELSEA TAFIRENYIKA
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Amai, this letter serves to convey our client’s sincerest apologies, and of course our clarification, to His Excellency the President, Your Excellency the First Lady, and the entire First Family. We trust this letter finds you in good health. We write to you in our professional capacity as legal practitioners of Ms. Kelsea Tadiwa Tafirenyika (our client), and equally on our own behalf as her legal representatives.
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We address you in the wake of what appears to be a regrettable escalation of events surrounding the ongoing litigation involving our client. It has become apparent to us that opportunists and detractors of the esteemed First Family have seized upon the proceedings to manufacture destructive narratives and scandalize the First Family for no apparent reason.
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We wish to convey, without reservation, our client’s profound regret that the public discourse has taken a turn that could be perceived as disrespectful to yourself and the First Family. It was never her intention, nor could it ever be to denigrate or show any measure of disrespect towards yourself, his Excellency the President, or any member of the First Family. Our client holds the institution of the First Family in the highest regard, and she is deeply pained that her name has become entangled in a narrative that she never sought to create.
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Much as our client vehemently denies the allegations levelled against her, she wishes to place on record that she has at no stage dragged your name, Amai, into this debacle. The association, such as it is, has been manufactured by others; opportunists, detractors and adversaries of the First Family who appear determined to exploit any proximity, however tenuous, to cause disharmony. Our client is not a party to that scandalous enterprise, and neither are we. She profusely apologizes for what has befallen the name of the First Family consequent to the stance she has taken to defend herself against the criminal charges she is currently facing.
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If anything, her sincere hope is for an amicable resolution to the current dispute, one that puts an end to the unwarranted speculation that has unfortunately attended these proceedings. Our client wishes to convey that she remains open to engaging with you on any matters that may have caused concern. She is fully committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to achieve an amicable resolution. She has reflected deeply on the events that have unfolded and acknowledges that the surrounding public discourse has been deeply regrettable. She has learnt from this experience and sincerely hopes that a direct and respectful dialogue may bring about the closure she earnestly seeks. She is very sorry that this issue has escalated to such great heights.
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For our part, as legal practitioners, we have done no more and no less than execute our client’s instructions to the best of our abilities, as is our duty and our professional oath. We have acted with diligence and integrity, mindful always of the attendant implications of our work. We simply put our client’s defence to the Investigating Officer the same defence that she proffered during the recording of the warned and cautioned statement before the State decided to arraign her on charges of money laundering.
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We respect the person of the First Lady deeply, and we wish to assure you that it has never been our intention, neither now nor at any other time, to scandalize you or the First Family. We are officers of the court, and we conduct ourselves as such. We are creatures of instructions who are obliged at law to execute our client’s instructions, nothing more, nothing less.
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We hope and pray that this letter has clarified our client’s position and our own.
We remain, as always, at your service and disposition, Amai.
Sincerely,
ADMIRE RUBAYA (MR.) EVERSON CHATAMBUDZA (MR.)
RUBAYA & CHATAMBUDZA
