Judge ticks off Manyi in libel suit

06 September 2017 - 06:33 By Nomahlubi Jordaan
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The New Age and ANN7 proprietor Mzwanele Manyi.
The New Age and ANN7 proprietor Mzwanele Manyi.
Image: Alon Skuy

The Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday lashed out at former government spin doctor Mzwanele "Jimmy'' Manyi's instructing attorney for failing to file heads of argument in a defamation case brought against Manyi by billionaire entrepreneur Magdalena Wierzycka.

Wierzycka, the outspoken chief executive of Sygnia Asset Management and South Africa's wealthiest woman, has filed an urgent application in the Johannesburg High Court.

She is seeking an order declaring statements Manyi made against her on Twitter and Facebook - including that she was guilty of economic "terrorism" - defamatory.

The case is due to be argued on Thursday. Last week, the court ordered the lawyers acting for the opposing parties to file their heads of argument by 2pm on Monday, but only Wierzycka's lawyer met the deadline.

Judge Bashier Vally did not take kindly to Kagiso Dinaka's "attitude" and "behaviour".

"There was a directive from myself that the heads must be filed on Monday at 2pm."

Dinaka told the court he did not think it was urgent to file the heads because it had been agreed that the case be heard on Thursday.

"The attitude of not filing heads must stop. That conduct is unacceptable. It doesn't allow the court to do its job," Vally asserted.

The court was also told that Dinaka's personal assistant had refused to give the registrar his cellphone number when she phoned his office to inquire about the heads of argument.

Vally ordered Dinaka to present an affidavit explaining why he did not file the heads of argument timeously, and for Manyi's counsel to file the heads of argument by 4pm on Tuesday.

In an affidavit, Wierzycka said Manyi's statements against her on social media amounted to harassment and she wanted the court to interdict him from publishing more defamatory statements.

She also wants the court to order Manyi to issue an unconditional apology and retraction on social media, and remove the statements on all the platforms on which they were posted.


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