LONDON - UK-based Zimbabwean lawyer Brighton Mutebuka has filed a police report with South Yorkshire Police over an escalating online feud with prominent commentator Lynne Mudonhi, known on X as Lynnestacia, saying social media has become “a crime scene.”
Mutebuka announced the filing Wednesday afternoon, declaring he will “let the law take its course” after accusing Mudonhi of bullying, harassment, defamation and coordinated attacks against him.
“A report has been filed with South Yorkshire Police this afternoon,” Mutebuka posted. “The attempts to bully, silence, harass & scapegoat me will not succeed.”
He added: “There is no excuse for malice, recklessness, mendaciousness & defamation in a democratic society. Those are my red lines.” Mutebuka said he will deploy “all options available” to seek accountability.
One of the posts that appears to have soured the already bitter relationship was one where Matebuka alleged that Tendai Biti the convenor of the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) was being earmarked for a position in a government led by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
Mudhoni and other X users accused Mutebuka of setting up Biti for victimization, a charge Mutebuka denied. The development marks a new phase in a bitter public clash rooted in sharply differing views on Zimbabwean politics, including ruling party succession battles and opposition strategies.
Mutebuka, a solicitor specializing in immigration and human rights, has repeatedly warned that Mudonhi’s posts crossed into actionable defamation, risking his professional reputation.
Earlier Wednesday, Mutebuka had signaled “no mercy” in pursuing legal remedies against Mudonhi and others he accused of amplifying criticism.
He has emphasized that he only posts what he can objectively prove and does not rely on Mudonhi as any sort of spokesperson.
Mudonhi's X account commands a large following in Zimbabwean diaspora and opposition circles.
In a response to a thread she said she was surprised that Mutebuka was taking issue with her when dozens of other X users were saying the same things about him.
"Now he is busy threatening me for saying exactly what everyone is saying, hanzi I will report you to the NHS, l am sending police to your house. I wonder what my crime will be 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️ police has better things to do honestly," she said.
Mutebuka, who holds law degrees from the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Leeds, also used the post to reiterate his longstanding criticism of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government in Harare.
“The Zimbabwean regime is responsible for its own reprehensible actions against all those who oppose it, which I have always condemned unreservedly,” he wrote. “It did not start & will not end today!”
South Yorkshire Police had no immediate comment on the report.
No charges have been announced, and it was unclear whether Mudonhi or others named in the dispute had been contacted by authorities.