Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. As the dust settles on the controversial court case involving social media influencer Ashley Masendeke, better known as Mai Jeremaya, Zimbabwean actor and media personality Tinopona Katsande has defended her friend and called for public empathy.
Posting on Facebook, Katsande, known for her unfiltered candour, stood firmly by Mai Jeremaya, who recently lost a legal case that has attracted widespread public scrutiny.
Though Katsande acknowledged the legal outcome and the weight of the court’s ruling, she made it clear that her loyalty to Mai Jeremaya remains steadfast. She wrote:
We amend in private, but we stand together in public. Being my sister’s keeper far overrides being concerned about what arbitrary minds think I should be doing with my life.
She said Magistrate Letwin Rwodzi handled the matter with fairness and composure, particularly during Mai Jeremaya’s emotional testimony.
Katsande, who was present throughout the trial, claimed the turning point came when a key witness contradicted Mai Jeremaya’s version of events, casting doubt on the prosecution’s case. She said:
Now look, I’m not a legal practioner but pane zvimwe zvingori obvious in direction of how things are going. Ini I knew it was game over and we would lose the case the moment the state witnesses gave her testimony.
In fact achingo tanga kutaura the first statement that was contrary to what Ashley had recited and instead reiterated to the testimony of the accused boys- I immediately got up and exited the courtroom.
I called Ashley who had not made it to court that day , found out where she was, went to her, picked her up and said,” wangu tamama- if the judge is fair , we’ve lost the case ” and I explained why i thought so.
Ashley crumbled in my arms. She was devastated that her so called friend whom she had confided in straight after the ordeal would have ” testified ” what she did.
I told her the dynamics of their friendship was neither here nor there but the facts on the table were not in our favour.
Ashley later called and said her lawyers said the case was now 50/50 but haaa ini I predicted mame mame for us.
Despite the setback, Katsande refused to define her friend by the courtroom loss. Instead, she highlighted Masendeke’s courage in confronting the ordeal and urged Zimbabweans to show compassion. She said:
Let her mend, heal, and continue kuriritira mhuri yake (support her family). Time has a way of making things right.
Katsande also invoked her own experience of surviving public ridicule and personal turmoil, saying that she has emerged “stronger, wiser, more compassionate,” thanks to those who stood by her privately but defended her publicly.
It is from that place of shared struggle, she said, that she offers her unwavering support to Mai Jeremaya.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
