Outspoken Zimbabwean figure Rutendo Matinyarare was recently dragged to court by Innscor Africa after he made defamatory claims against the food company.
Last year in November, Rutendo Matinyarare made some shocking claims against Innscor Africa in several posts on X, Facebook and a blog. He accused Innscor Africa of destroying the taste of Zimbabwean food.
He alleged that ever since Innscor Africa took over the meat industry, they have destroyed the unique taste of Zimbabwean meat by introducing “GMO feeds and steroids”
“They took over Colcom and the meat industry, introducing chemical GMO feeds, steroids, injections and hybrids which substituted taste for weight, ultimately destroying the unique taste of Zimbabwean commercially grown meat,” Rutendo Matinyarare said.
Furthermore, he also alleged that Innscor Africa was selling grain laced with cancer-causing pesticides and growth hormones.
“This grain is laced with cancer-causing pesticides (glyphosate, Neo-nicotinoids and Drexin), along with growth hormones, vaccines, medicines and steroids, all giving the meat a synthetic flavour and texture.”
He argued that as long as Zimbabweans continue to let Innscor Africa dominate and industrialize the food value chain, the manufacturing company will continue to destroy Zimbabwe’s unique advantage of good food.
Innscor Africa, however did not take Rutendo Matinyarare defamatory claims lightly, they took him court in South Africa.
The High Court on 9 January ordered him to delete the videos and posts he made on X, formerly Twitter and Facebook within 30 days
According to the court order, Rutendo Matinyarare was also ordered not to publish any defamatory statements against Innscor Africa.
“The respondents are interdicted and restrained from publishing any defamatory statements contained in the aforementioned articles and videos. Failure by the applicants to institute the action referred to in paragraph 2 shall result in the automatic discharge of the interim interdict on the last day of the 30-day period,” reads part of the court order.
Source iHarare
