“Vanzwa Butter”: Chivayo Gloats After Sending Ex-wife, Mother-in-Law To Remand, But Drops Charges For His Children’s Sake

Prominent lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu has said that although his professional oath compels him to defend liberty “without regard to political affiliation,” he has made a personal decision to refuse certain briefs.

 

This comes after recent online claims by Rutendo Matinyarare that Mpofu was representing Wicknell Chivayo. Matinyarare later apologised after Mpofu threatened legal action.

 

Posting on his X page, Mpofu said advocates have a sworn duty to represent all persons in matters of “liberty, life and limb,” noting that in such cases “there are no political formations.”

 

Despite this, Mpofu said Zimbabwe’s “awkward environment” has led him to a “conscious and personal decision that there are certain individuals I will not represent and certain interests I will not champion.”

 

“There are just people for whose benefit I will never prostitute my skill, whatever the rewards,” he wrote. “I’ve taken this position notwithstanding the cab rank rule. Thus, whilst my taxi will convey many, for reasons that are personal to me, it will not move contraband”

 

Mpofu stressed the decision was “not corporate, it is not collective, and it was not made on behalf of or in consultation with others.”

 

He added: “I expect myself to remain faithful to that decision, and I emphasise that no one has a right to impose it upon me as a demand. It is a personal commitment.”

 

The advocate, known for representing opposition figures and civil society actors, said he is aware some “quite legitimately expect me to remain true to that choice” and that he does not intend to disappoint them. “But I must stress, just as firmly, that this is my decision and not theirs.”

 

Mpofu was unequivocal about his political views, saying: “I believe Zimbabwe is under tyranny. I believe Zimbabwe is under tyranny. I believe it is being misgoverned. I have dedicated my life to fighting the good fight for the liberation of my country. I do so out of conviction and for posterity. I do so in my personal capacity.”

 

He warned against conflating his activism with his legal work: “The fact that I fight for the common good does not entitle anyone to drag my professional work into my political convictions, notwithstanding that I have also chosen, in my professional life, to draw certain lines.”

 

The remarks follow a public spat with political activist Rutendo Matinyarare, who had alleged Mpofu was acting for Wicknell Chivayo. Matinyarare has since retracted the claim and apologised.

 

Mpofu did not name any individuals he would refuse to represent. The cab rank rule, which he referenced, is a common law principle requiring advocates to accept briefs if they are available and competent, regardless of the client’s identity.

 

Named after the tradition of taxi drivers taking the first passenger in line, it ensures equal access to justice and prevents lawyers from refusing unpopular clients.

 

9.* “Vanzwa Butter”: Chivayo Gloats After Sending Ex-wife, Mother-in-Law To Remand, But Drops Charges For His Children’s Sake*

Wicknell Chivayo has withdrawn all charges against his ex-wife, Sonja Madzikanda, and her mother, Tabitha Madzikanda.

 

The two women had spent several days in remand prison following their arrest and were due to appear at the Harare Magistrates Court on Friday morning for their rescheduled bail hearing.

 

Speaking to ZimLive at the Rotten Row court shortly after dropping the case on Friday, Chivayo used the sarcastic Shona-English slang phrase “vanzwa butter”—a street expression used to convey immense satisfaction at someone else’s suffering.

 

However, he explained that he ultimately decided to withdraw the charges because the two children he shares with Sonja had begun asking, “Where is mummy?”

 

“She’s the mother of my children. So I have forgiven her. My kids have been calling, asking, ‘Where is mummy?’ So once it involves my kids, then I’m defeated because they are the people I love the most,” said Chivayo.

 

Chivayo said he had no regrets about having Sonja and her mother, Tabitha, locked up for nearly a week over allegations they circulated AI images of him alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

 

“I don’t regret anything because for my mother-in-law to circulate, you know, fake pictures of me and President Ramaphosa as a way of trying to show that President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson lied that it was my first time meeting him at Precabe farm, I think that was a bit out of order,” he said.

 

“She went to extremes. You know, citizens must respect Heads of State. That was uncalled for.

 

“And she deserves to have slept inside for a few days. So she knows what to do as a 63-year-old woman. So vanzwa buttercup.”

 

Chivayo maintained that despite the arrests, his relationship with the Madzikandas had not been permanently ruined.

 

“Our relationship can never end. We have two children, so if they hate me, it’s okay, and I’ll still be there for them. I’ve forgiven them.”

 

He also defended the highly unusual arrest of his former mother-in-law, a move that deeply contradicts Shona tradition.

 

“There was no fraud that was committed, but she (Tabitha) attempted to try and buy some piece of land worth 1.4 million with my children’s investment.

 

“And according to the High Court order, we agreed that five million dollars is for my children. It’s a cash investment.

 

“But behind my back, she was trying to go and buy land to try and build clusters. As a mother-in-law that’s not her responsibility to try to run my children.

 

“My ex-wife has been trying to connive with banking officials to say, can they remove Wicknell as a signatory on the children’s account, when in the beginning the order said I play an oversight role.

 

“The money belongs to my kids, and she’s the mother of the children. But I just give an oversight role. So for her to try and remove my name so that she and her mother can go and build cluster houses… is unacceptable.”