Racism case against former City Press editor Haffajee due in court

THE long-delayed racism case brought by reporters against their boss Ferial Haffajee is due in court next week

The four former City Press reporters, Mawande Mvumvu, Khanyiso Tshwaku, Muntu Vilakazi and Denvor de Wee, brought the case against Haffajee, the editor at the time, in January 2014, accusing her of defaming them by calling them racists.

All were still working at the newspaper at the time but all have since left the newspaper at various times.

The four claimed R3 million each from Haffajee and Media 24, the company which owns City Press. Although Haffajee left City Press recently, she is still a defendant in the case.

The matter is now set down for hearing in the Johannesburg High Court on August 18.

“At this stage it looks like it is going ahead,” said Etienne van der Merwe, lawyer for the four plaintiffs.

Some attempts at a settlement were made, but nothing came of that, he said.

It is understood that the plaintiffs objected to the possibility of a confidentiality clause in a settlement.

“The plaintiffs felt they wanted their day in court,” said Van der Merwe.

Lawyer Andrew Boerner, acting for Haffajee and Media 24, said the matter was being defended by both.

“It has been defended from the beginning,” he said.

Boerner said no settlement had been reached.

“At this stage we are proceeding.”

Boerner said the four plaintiffs had not been fired, and had still been employed at City Press at the time they filed the case, but left later. “They left of their own accord.”

The dispute goes back to October 2013.

The four claim in their court papers that at a City Press meeting Haffajee called them racists, called them “culturally superior” and accused them of “causing divisiveness”, and that others were also at that meeting. They accused her of intentionally defaming them.

They accused Haffajee of subsequently putting up a notice saying “No racists allowed”, which was apparently aimed at them, and sending an e-mail to staff which referred to racists, which they believed was aimed at them, and then filing an internal grievance against them.

Haffajee denied defamation. In the court papers she says she apologised to them on three occasions for “having individualised her criticism” of them.

She also repeated her apology, and said any impairment to their dignity was restored by the apologies.