‘We didn’t just get here, we fought’ — Jackie Phamotse back to using her social media fingers

20 September 2023 - 14:19
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Jackie Phamotse reflects on her journey as a writer.
Jackie Phamotse reflects on her journey as a writer.
Image: Supplied

After attempting to have her legal representatives prohibit the media from documenting the proceedings during judgment at the Randburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday — Jackie Phamotse has finally broken her silence. 

The author was found guilty of four charges, including defamation, crimen injuria, and violating a protection order in her case against Basetsana Kumalo. 

On Tuesday, Jackie took to her timeline to share a video of her books Bare: The Cradle of the Hockey Club, as well as, BARE V: Curtain Call, appearing on the shelves in store, reflecting on her journey. 

“Never cower, you built this! You came from nothing and this is what you created and so much more,” she wrote. 

On her Instagram stories, Jackie shared messages of support from her followers and avid readers writing;

“Headstrong. Born for greatness.

"[My] heart is with my Bare nation. I’m with you guys ... My people! You know what we are made out of! We didn’t just get here, we fought.

According to the NPA statement, released on Tuesday, the court judgment revolved around Jackie's 2018 Twitter post.

In it she claimed to have overheard a conversation between a businesswoman and one of her friends talking about a video depicting the media mogul’s husband Romeo engaging in sexual activity with another man.

When her followers asked whether the post linked the tweet with the Kumalos, Jackie never refuted the question but responded with a laughing emoji and said "I love it".

That led Basetsana to approach the harassment court and she was granted a protection order against the writer. 

But that didn’t stop Jackie's social media outbursts and on February 22, 2019, she published a book titled I Tweet What I like ... So Sue Me in which she violated the protection order against her, by referring to a case number that relates to Basetsana’s protection order.   

Jackie said in court she had written nine books, and said that Twitter was a part of her writing process and she “puts out quotes and opinion pieces” as she writes.

The author’s case pertaining to the businesswoman and beauty pageant title holder was postponed to October 24 for a pre-sentence and correctional service report. 

Jackie Phamotse, right, who put out a defamatory tweet in June 2018 about Romeo and Basetsana Kumalo, leaves the Randburg magistrate's court after being found guilty of all four charges against her.
Jackie Phamotse, right, who put out a defamatory tweet in June 2018 about Romeo and Basetsana Kumalo, leaves the Randburg magistrate's court after being found guilty of all four charges against her.
Image: Thapelo Morebudi

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