Chivayo’s Ex-wife, Mother-in-law Further Remanded In Prison As Magistrate Falls Ill

Wicknell Chivayo’s ex-wife, Sonja Madzikanda, and her mother, Tabitha Madzikanda, will spend another night in remand prison after their bail hearing was postponed on Thursday because the presiding magistrate was unwell.

The two women appeared before a stand-in magistrate on Thursday, 21 May, who claimed that Magistrate Nyaradzo Manokore was too ill to attend the proceedings. As a result, the case has been adjourned until Friday.

Sonja and her mother face charges of cyberbullying and harassment under Section 164B of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Prosecutors allege that the pair circulated artificial intelligence-generated photographs and videos linking Chivayo to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The material reportedly suggested that Chivayo had met Ramaphosa prior to the South African leader’s official visit to Zimbabwe on 3 May, during which the two were publicly photographed together.

According to court documents, the prosecution intends to use the AI-generated images and videos as key evidence during the trial.

“The State says there are Artificial Intelligence-generated photographs and videos which can be produced as exhibits,” prosecutors told the court.

The prosecution has indicated that investigations are expected to be completed by 3 June, with four witnesses lined up to testify against the accused. Detective Sergeant Chimera has been named as the investigating officer in the case.

Tabitha, a senior compliance manager at FBC Bank, was arrested on 18 May, a day after her daughter was taken into custody. Their court appearance follows a bitter, public fallout between Sonja and Chivayo following the collapse of their marriage.

Earlier this week, Sonja claimed her arrest stemmed from allegations that she had stolen Chivayo’s mobile phone and denied him access to their children.

There have also been reports linking Tabitha to allegations that she attempted to alter the administration of a trust fund for Chivayo’s children and remove him as a signatory.

However, neither Sonja nor her mother has been charged with those offences; the matter currently before the courts relates solely to the cyberbullying allegations.

Meanwhile, social media personality Mmatigari commented that the prosecution’s decision to drop the claims regarding stolen devices, child access, and fraud over the FBC bank account suggests they saw no realistic prospect of conviction on those charges.

He also opined that the leaked picture of Chivayo and Ramaphosa, which Chivayo claimed in his affidavit had embarrassed him, is not actually an AI-generated image.

“It’s a legit picture, and we all know he loves taking pictures with politicians for influence peddling,” wrote Mmatigari on X.

“This seems to be a clear case of abusing our state institutions to settle personal embarrassments. If we are not careful, we are going down a slippery slope as a nation.”