Judgment reserved in Manyi’s defamation application case

JUDGMENT has been reserved in the urgent application brought in the South Gauteng High Court by billionaire entrepreneur Magdalena Wierzycka against former government spin doctor and new owner of ANN7 Mzwanele Manyi.

Acting Judge Fiona Dippenaar did not give the date when judgment would be delivered in the matter.

Wierzycka‚ chief executive of Sygnia Asset Management and South Africa’s richest woman‚ is seeking an order to declare statements Manyi made against her on Twitter and Facebook defamatory.

In one of the statements‚ Manyi said Wierzycka was guilty of economic “terrorism”.

Advocate Vuyani Ngalwana SC‚ representing Manyi‚ said Manyi was responding to an opinion he disagreed with in a robust political discussion and Wierzycka could have responded in kind.

Ngalwana said if the interdict was granted against Manyi the chilling effect on free speech would be palpable.

Advocate David Unterhalter SC‚ representing Wierzycka‚ argued if an interdict was not granted against Manyi‚ he could continue defending his defamation as “political speak”.

Unterhalter said Manyi did not provide proof to substantiate his claims in his affidavits.

Advocate Lwandile Sisilana‚ also representing Wierzycka‚ said: “The statements demean‚ humiliate and create a hostile environment.”

Sisilana argued that by associating Wierzycka with SACP leader Chris Hani’s murderer‚ Janusz Walus‚ Manyi was inviting the public to view her as someone associated with murderers.

He said Manyi calling Wierzycka racist aimed to lower her in the eyes of the public.

Manyi argued his posts were lawful‚ and Wierzycka’s case was not urgent and should be struck off the roll.

Last week, he asked Dippenaar to recuse herself in the matter because Dippenaar and Wierzycka’s counsel are from the same group of chambers.

Dippenaar dismissed Manyi’s application.

She ordered Manyi to pay the costs of the application.