Basetsana Kumalo rejoices after winning court case against Jackie Phamotse
Jackie Phamotse is learning the hard way that you can't just tweet what you like.
Basetsana Kumalo and her husband Romeo Kumalo have won their defamation case against controversial author Jackie Phamotse.
The Randburg Magistrates Court found Jackie guilty on two counts of crimen injuria and one count of defamation on Tuesday, September 19. She was also found guilty of being in contempt of court.
Basetsana and Romeo were in court to hear the verdict. They also testified during the trial. The Kumalos took Jackie to court following a tweet she shared in 2018.
"Just overheard a painful conversation, a female TV mogul Pleading with one of my girls to not share videos of her drunk and her husband (sic) rimming a celebrity boy!!!!!!!!! What the hell!!!! Kanti, what kind of marriages do we have now!!! I have asked to see this video," the motivational speaker wrote.
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While she did not name the couple in the post, social media users linked the tweet to the Kumalos.
Jackie did not quash the speculation and instead responded with laughing emojis. “I love it”, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) quoted her as saying in one reply.
The power couple took her to court over the 'salacious' post. They were granted a protection order against Jackie which prevented her from talking about them.
Jackie then released a book called, 'I Tweet What I Like: So…Sue Me!', in 2019.
That is exactly what the Kumalos did after the book's release as they believed she went against the court order by bringing up the matter again.
Romeo testified in court that Jackie's tweet was "deeply hurtful", while Basetsana said she felt violated.
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The Randburg Magistrates’ Court found Jacqueline Katleho Phamotse guilty on two counts of crimen injuria, one count of defamation and one of contempt of court. pic.twitter.com/TmfmJiYkzo
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) September 19, 2023
According to several reports, Basetsana's family were emotional when the verdict was read on Tuesday.
The Miss South Africa 1994 dedicated her court victory to victims of cyberbullying.
"Not for only the Kumalos, but for every single person in this country who works hard and earns a living on their good name, and then they wake up and they're being shamed... There are many people in this country who have taken their lives from being cyberbullied and today this unprecedented judgment is for all of us," she told journalists outside of the courtroom.
Jackie will be sentenced on 24 October 2023.
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The judgment against the vile, mendacious, pathological liar JACKIE PHAMOTSE has been handed down. She is found guilty as charged on counts 1, 2, 3,4
— @lupingcayisa (@lupingcayisa) September 19, 2023
It’s taken the Kumalo’s 5 years to get to this verdict.
Sentencing has been postponed to 24 Oct. pic.twitter.com/qmRWXnckbW
Main image credit/ Instagram (@basetsanakumalo)
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