Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. TENSIONS have escalated between the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe (NCZ) and the Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH) after the former issued a public notice disavowing HIPH’s nursing assistants training programmes.
In response, HIPH has threatened legal action, accusing the NCZ of causing undue panic and confusion among students and stakeholders.
The institute, through its lawyer Lovemore Madhuku, demanded a retraction and public apology within 24 hours, failing which it will sue for defamation.
In the notice, the NCZ had said it had no “regulatory connection with the HIPH regarding the training of nurses”.
“Given the extent of the above, it is clear that my client has experienced one of the worst forms of defamation in Zimbabwe,” Madhuku wrote to the NCZ in a letter of demand dated July 24.
“Your published statement is particularly harmful… my client is a highly reputable organisation run by professionals with impeccable integrity and owing its status from the outstanding qualities of humble, diligent, brilliant, professional and competent managers.
“Your statement is not protected by the fundamental right to ‘freedom of expression and freedom of the media’ in section 61 of the Constitution because it is, without doubt, malicious injury to my client’s reputation.”
Maddhuku said Section 61(5) of the Constitution makes it clear that freedom of expression excludes “malicious injury to a person’s reputation or dignity”.
“The good name, respect and status that my client hitherto enjoyed have been lowered in the estimation of the reasonable and right thinking members of society,” Madhuku said.
“My client is demanding a widely publicised retraction and apology. In addition, you must pull down your statement from all your social media platforms.”
HIPH assistant registrar Retlaw Matorwa said their nursing assistants training programme is approved and examined by the Higher Examination Council, operating under the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development ministry.
“The HIPH has suffered significant reputational damage due to the misleading and harmful statement published by the NCZ,” Matorwa said yesterday.
“This statement, which falsely implies that HIPH is fraudulently involved in nursing education and lacks professional integrity, has unjustly tarnished our institution’s good name and standing in the community.
“The NCZ’s statement has caused widespread harm, and it is imperative that they take immediate steps to correct the false narrative and restore the HIPH’s reputation.”
No comment could be obtained from the NCZ.
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