Kunene site ordered to remove sex videos
Public interest outweighed by right to privacy
CONTROVERSIAL businessman Kenny Kunene’s online news website Weekly Xposé has been ordered to remove two videos of a woman Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa allegedly had an affair with.
Judge Raylene Keightley delivered the judgment yesterd in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
The website published graphic sexual videos‚ which a woman allegedly sent to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ who is not in the videos. The website blurred out the woman in the videos‚ but published her name‚ age and where she lives.
Keightley said the woman’s right to privacy outweighed the public interest and the right to freedom of expression.
She said the publication had “crossed the line” and did not consent to the world seeing the videos “at a click of a button”.
She ordered the videos and any sexually graphic pictures be removed and that they could not be published in future.
Keightley said it did not matter if the videos were made for Ramaphosa. Kunene was order to pay with costs.
In reaction, Kunene said the two videos would be removed with an hour, but vowed to continue to expose evidence of Ramaphosa’s extramarital affairs.
He said his online publication had “over a 100 videos and photos” of women with whom Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa had allegedly had affairs.
“Obviously we will then have to make sure that we lock them far away‚ because the order has been made that we must never use them. We are going to respect that order.”
The woman applied on Monday for an interdict to remove the two videos on the website and prevent further publication‚ but not to alter the text of the article.
Attorney Nomaswazi Maseko‚ representing the applicant‚ said they were pleased with the judgment.
“There is a huge difference between the public interest on one hand and on the other side what the actual public would deem to be interested in.” — DDC