(MISA/IFEX) – On 29 July 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Albert Shabangu won a staggering E750 000 (approx. US$116,000) in damages in a defamation suit against the “Times of Swaziland” newspaper, following a High Court ruling. The judgment is historical in terms of a settlement amount awarded in Swaziland. The alleged defamatory article was written by […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 29 July 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Albert Shabangu won a staggering E750 000 (approx. US$116,000) in damages in a defamation suit against the “Times of Swaziland” newspaper, following a High Court ruling. The judgment is historical in terms of a settlement amount awarded in Swaziland.
The alleged defamatory article was written by the late “Times Sunday” editor Vusi Ginindza four years ago. The deputy prime minister was alleged defamed and his reputation tarnished when the article inferred that he was a card-carrying member of the Ngwane National Liberator Congress (NNLC), a proscribed party in Swaziland as political parties were banned by a 1973 decree.
The incident has had a chilling effect on press freedom in Swaziland. Among others, media owners have expressed the opinion that the political position of the deputy prime minister might have had a bearing on the outcome of the trial.
