Celebrity blogger Musa Khawula has been ordered by the Johannesburg High Court to publicly apologise to businessman Senzo Tsabedze after the court found that a series of social media posts accusing him of infidelity were false and defamatory.
In an order handed down by Acting Judge Nel AJ, the court declared that statements published by Khawula on his X (formerly Twitter) account between July 6 and July 15 were false and defamatory.
24 hours to remove posts, issue public apology
The court directed him to permanently remove the posts from his X account and any other social media platforms under his control within 24 hours.
Khawula was also ordered to publish a public apology in wording substantially similar to a draft attached to the court papers.
In the apology, he is required to state: “I accept that my posts were wrongful and unlawful, and had a hurtful, harmful, and defamatory effect on Mr Tsabedze.”
He must further acknowledge the impact of the posts, saying: “My publications caused him reputational harm, personal distress, public embarrassment, and unnecessary speculation. They impacted not only him but also his family, including his daughters, and the six women implicated.”
Khawula ordered to admit that allegations false
The draft apology also requires Khawula to admit that the allegations were “false, unverified, unjustified and defamatory”, and that there had never been any romantic or sexual relationships between Tsabedze and the six women named in the posts.
It further compels him to apologise, stating: “I sincerely and unreservedly apologise to Mr Tsabedze and the Tsabedze family for the harm and distress caused by my posts.”
The court papers also require Khawula to acknowledge that his publications perpetuated harmful stereotypes about black women by portraying them as being involved with married men and to immediately withdraw the allegations.
In addition to ordering the removal of the posts and publication of the apology, the High Court directed Khawula to pay punitive legal costs on the attorney-and-client scale, one of the most severe costs orders available in civil litigation. The amount has not yet been determined and will be assessed during the taxation process.
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- The Johannesburg High Court ruled that celebrity blogger Musa Khawula’s social media posts accusing businessman Senzo Tsabedze of infidelity were false and defamatory.
- Khawula was ordered to remove the posts within 24 hours and issue a public apology acknowledging the posts were wrongful, harmful, and defamatory.
- The apology must admit the allegations were false, unverified, and unjustified, and deny any romantic or sexual relationships between Tsabedze and the six women named.
- Khawula must apologise for the reputational harm, personal distress, and public embarrassment caused to Tsabedze and his family, and withdraw allegations perpetuating harmful stereotypes about black women.
- The court also imposed punitive legal costs on Khawula on an attorney-and-client scale, with the exact amount to be determined later.
