Sonja Madzikanda, Mother Spend Another Night in Custody as Bail Hearing Is Postponed

Sonja Madzikanda and her mother, Tabitha Madzikanda, will spend another night in remand prison after their bail hearing was postponed on Thursday due to the reported illness of the presiding magistrate. The pair appeared before a stand-in magistrate at the Harare Magistrates Court on 21 May, where the court was informed that Magistrate Nyaradzo Manokore was unwell and unable to preside over the matter. The case was subsequently adjourned to Friday.

Sonja and Tabitha are facing charges of cyberbullying and harassment under Section 164B of Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. According to prosecutors, the two allegedly circulated artificial intelligence-generated images and videos linking businessman Wicknell Chivayo to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The disputed material reportedly suggested that Chivayo had privately met Ramaphosa before the South African leader’s official state visit to Zimbabwe on 3 May, during which the two were later publicly photographed together.

“The State says there are Artificial Intelligence-generated photographs and videos which can be produced as exhibits,” prosecutors told the court.

The prosecution indicated that investigations are expected to conclude by 3 June and said four witnesses are expected to testify during trial proceedings. Detective Sergeant Chimera has been identified as the investigating officer in the case.

Tabitha Madzikanda, a senior compliance manager at FBC Bank Zimbabwe, was arrested on 18 May, a day after her daughter was taken into custody. The arrests follow a highly publicised fallout between Sonja and Chivayo after the breakdown of their marriage, which has spilled into both legal and social media disputes. Earlier this week, Sonja claimed that her arrest was linked to allegations that she had stolen Chivayo’s mobile phone and blocked him from accessing their children.

There have also been allegations involving attempts to alter the administration of a trust fund for Chivayo’s children and remove him as a signatory. However, court proceedings currently before the magistrates’ court relate only to the cyberbullying allegations. Neither Sonja nor Tabitha has been formally charged over the trust fund matter or allegations relating to stolen devices.

The case has generated widespread debate online, particularly around the use of cybercrime laws and AI-generated content in Zimbabwe. Social media commentator Mmatigari argued on X that the withdrawal of allegations involving stolen devices, child access and fraud may indicate prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to pursue those claims. He also disputed assertions that one of the circulated images involving Chivayo and Ramaphosa was AI-generated.

“It’s a legit picture, and we all know he loves taking pictures with politicians for influence peddling,” Mmatigari wrote on X. “This seems to be a clear case of abusing our state institutions to settle personal embarrassments. If we are not careful, we are going down a slippery slope as a nation.”

Legal experts say the matter could become one of Zimbabwe’s most closely watched cybercrime-related cases due to its implications for digital evidence, artificial intelligence content and freedom of expression laws.

Sonja Madzikanda

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