Harare – Zimbabwean comedian and content creator Admire Mushambi, known as Mama Vee, has launched a US$100,000 defamation lawsuit against popular musician Holy Ten, following a series of controversial remarks made by the rapper. The legal action stems from comments made in a viral video and during an interview on the DJ Ollah 7 podcast, where Holy Ten allegedly labelled Mama Vee a “ngochani” – a derogatory term for homosexual.
The lawsuit, filed on March 20, 2025, alleges that Holy Ten’s statements were untrue, malicious, and defamatory, resulting in financial loss and damage to Mama Vee’s reputation. Mama Vee’s legal representative, Sadowera Kuwana, stated that Holy Ten had repeatedly used the term “ngochani” to refer to his client.
According to the legal letter, “On the 4th of March 2025, on your Instagram page handle @holytenmusic, you published a video where you uttered a statement to the effect that he is a homosexual. To be specific you mentioned in vernacular whilst recording a video that our client is a “Ngochani”, which translates that our client is a homosexual.”
The letter further detailed that “on the 18th of March 2025, you were interviewed by Owen Madondo aka DJ Ollah 7 on the DJ Ollah 7 podcast show…During the interview, you uttered a statement to the effect that our client is homosexual, had bad influence on young people and for that matter he did not deserve the NAMA awards. You even had the audacity to greet our client by saying in vernacular (hesi ngochani), when you fortuitously met on a plane on your way to Zimbabwe from South Africa on 10 of March 2025, which encounter, you alluded to during your interview with DJ Ollah 7.”
Mama Vee is demanding a public retraction within 48 hours and US$100,000 in damages for defamation. “We advise that our client’s reputation have been damaged pursuant to your false, malicious, reckless and defamatory statements, to the extent that some of the partnerships and brands which he has been working with have since withdrawn their working relationship with him. He has suffered financial loss as a consequence. Our client has also been affected emotionally, if one considers the negative comments that have been passed via several social platforms,” added Kuwana.
The video and podcast appearance sparked heated debates on social media, with many fans expressing shock and disappointment over the accusations. The controversy quickly gained traction, leading to widespread discussions online.
Fans are divided over the case. Some believe Mama Vee has a strong case, while others argue that Holy Ten was merely expressing his opinion. Legal experts say defamation cases are complex and require clear evidence of reputational harm.
Defamation lawsuits are relatively rare in Zimbabwe’s entertainment industry, making this case particularly noteworthy. However, Mama Vee is determined to protect his name and image.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Holy Ten extends beyond the lawsuit with Mama Vee.
Holy Ten has also made explosive allegations against Uebert Angel, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador-at-Large to Europe and the Americas, and gospel musician Mudiwa Hood. In the same DJ Ollah 7 podcast interview, Holy Ten claimed that Angel repeatedly asked him to find young women for his personal pleasure.
He further accused Mudiwa Hood, a close associate of Angel, of bringing firearms and condoms into Angel’s Good News church. “I swear I will never go back to that church again. You can even ask my crew. Those people are not who they claim to be,” he declared.
“I was first inspired to pray by Uebert Angel. I used to watch his sermons. But for him to turn into someone who asks me to find ‘slay queens’ was the worst thing ever,” Holy Ten shared during the podcast. The rapper revealed his shock and disappointment, stating that what was once an inspiration had now turned into a source of distress.
Holy Ten also recalled a disturbing incident during a visit to Angel’s church, where he alleges that Mudiwa Hood showed him a gun and then revealed a stash of condoms from his bag.
These allegations come two years after Uebert Angel was implicated in the Al Jazeera Gold Mafia documentary, which exposed illegal gold smuggling and money laundering schemes operating in Southern Africa. In the documentary, Angel was secretly recorded bragging about his ability to launder over US$1 billion, exploiting his diplomatic immunity.
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