Rachel Kolisi 'could regret' sharing woman's semi-naked pics and deets - law expert

Rachel Kolisi, who is married to Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi, could face severe consequences should the woman whose details she shared on social media decide to take legal action. 

Rachel posted images of a semi-naked woman on her Instagram stories, accusing her of sliding into her husband's direct messages (DMs). She also asked for information on the woman's place of work, in which she listed the potential location. 

"Just wondering why her a** is doing in my husband's DMs?" Rachel said.

Although Rachel later deactivated her account as pressure mounted against her, social media experts have warned that she could still face severe consequences.

Social media law expert Verlie Oosthuizen said Rachel may have violated certain terms regarding the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication Related Information (RICA) if she has obtained the woman's image without her consent.

"It is clear that the woman did not send the image to Rachel Kolisi and rather sent it directly to Siya Kolisi. Therefore Mrs Kolisi was not party to the communication and may have intercepted it," said Oosthuizen who is from Wylie Attorneys. 

Oosthuizen said by posting the  image without the woman's consent, Rachel had infringed on the privacy of the woman, which could have serious civil and criminal common law implications. 

"The woman could have grounds to approach the police or the courts and Rachel would then possibly face criminal charges or civil claims. It is never a good idea to deal with personal issues on social media, no matter how effective it can be in venting frustrations."

Rachel could also be charged with criminal infringement of dignity, civil infringement of privacy and possibly defamation action. 

"The person posting the content can be charged with crimen injuria or if they are persistently harassing the person then they could be served with a harassment order out of the magistrate's court."

In the Instagram post, Rachel also claimed that the woman worked at a specific gym in Cape Town.

Oosthuizen said revealing a person's private or identifying information on the internet - known as "doxing" - is an infringement of privacy. 

The woman said that she had been receiving messages calling her a slut after Rachel shared her details.