In
a
letter
dated
4
February
2026,
written
by
Fuzwayo’s
lawyer,
Nqobani
Sithole,
Mpofu
is
accused
of
portraying
the
activist
as
financially
destitute.
Sithole
claims
that
on
28
February
2026,
Mpofu
alleged
that
Fuzwayo
“does
not
even
have
US$10
in
his
pocket”
and
had
failed
to
pay
his
legal
representatives.
The
statements,
Sithole
said,
were
false,
malicious
and
damaging,
painting
Fuzwayo
as
a
pauper
unable
to
meet
his
financial
obligations.
He
described
the
remarks
as
defamatory,
arguing
that
they
portrayed
his
client
as
both
impoverished
and
irresponsible.
The
letter
demanded
an
immediate
written
retraction
and
a
public
apology,
with
the
retraction
to
be
published
on
Mpofu’s
X
account
within
two
days
and
given
the
same
prominence
as
the
original
post.
Mpofu
was
also
warned
to
refrain
from
making
any
further
defamatory
statements.
Sithole
added
that
failure
to
comply
would
leave
his
client
with
no
option
but
to
institute
defamation
proceedings,
including
a
claim
for
damages,
without
further
notice.
However,
by
midday
on
9
February
2026,
three
days
after
Mpofu
shared
the
letter
on
his
X
page,
no
apology
or
retraction
had
been
issued,
and
the
original
post
remained
online.
The
dispute
has
taken
on
an
added
twist
following
the
resurfacing
of
a
November
2025
interview
with
The
NewsHawks,
in
which
Fuzwayo
himself
stated
that
he
had
only
US$10
in
his
pocket.
At
the
time,
speculation
was
rife
that
his
Constitutional
Court
application
challenging
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
proposed
term
extension
was
being
covertly
funded
by
ZANU
PF.
Those
allegations
suggested
the
case
was
a
collusive
exercise
designed
to
fail
and
thereby
create
a
legal
pathway
for
extending
the
president’s
tenure.
Fuzwayo
dismissed
such
claims,
saying
he
did
not
rely
on
donors
and
would
continue
working
with
communities
“with
or
without
money”.
During
the
interview
with
The
NewsHawks
on
11
November
2025,
Fuzwayo
was
quoted
as
saying:
“Right
now,
while
people
are
busy
saying
I
have
been
paid
to
file
the
court
application,
which
is
false,
I
only
have
US$10
in
my
pocket.
That’s
all
the
money
I
have
for
everything
I
need.“I
have
nothing
to
my
name
worth
talking
about,
but
we
fight
for
ordinary
people
all
over
the
country.”