/ 1 February 2008

Zuma reduces claims against media

A host of defamation claims lodged by the African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma against several publications were on Friday slashed to ”approximately R12-million”, a spokesperson for Zuma said.

Liesl Göttert said: ”Mr Jacob Zuma will instruct his media legal team today [Friday] to drop the defamation component of all media claims that he instituted against some media prior to the 52nd ANC conference in Polokwane last year with respect to news, articles, cartoons and opinions that were published prior to the conference.

”Mr Zuma will, however, proceed with claims that relate to the injury of his dignity in these matters.”

This would amount to ”approximately R12-million”.

The claims had been structured in such a way that Zuma claimed for personal injury and for damage to his public image.

In 2006 Zuma lodged defamation claims against the media to the tune of R63-million. He sued media owners, publishers, editors, reporters, cartoonists and newspapers.

Broadcaster 94.7 Highveld Stereo was to be sued for R7-million for broadcasting a song called My name is Zuma, commenting on the Zuma rape trial.

It was played by Darren ”Whackhead” Simpson, a member of the radio station’s Rude Awakening team.

His biggest claim against one publication was R20-million against the Star.

It consisted of four different claims of R5-million each, three of which were against award-winning cartoonist Zapiro.

The fourth was for an article accompanied by a manipulated photograph of Zuma.

Göttert said the claim filed against Rapport on January 17 was not among the 12 claims that Zuma’s legal team was being instructed to reduce.

”He wants to give the media a break. The propaganda mounted against him by his detractors was not as successful as they had hoped.

”Obviously his image was not as damaged as he initially thought, because he won [in Polokwane].”

In a statement released by Göttert, Zuma is quoted as saying: ”As a politician in a democracy, one’s reputation is of paramount importance because one is not supported if one is not respected.

”It was important for me to make the relevant media understand that there are rules that have to be played by, even if it concerns politicians.

”Then, as time went by, it became clear that although certain people had probably been influenced negatively, the people who know me were not fooled by the propaganda against me. Polokwane proved that my impression was probably correct,” he said.

No comment

Meanwhile, delegates at the ANC’s parliamentary caucus lekgotla (meeting) in Cape Town on Friday declined to comment on the talks.

Zuma merely laughed when journalists asked him for comment outside Parliament’s Old Assembly Chamber.

Crowding around him, his bodyguards shooed reporters away as they led him out of the lekgotla shortly before noon and into an awaiting Mercedes with bullet-proof, tinted windows.

Following a speech by Zuma earlier in the morning, delegates split up into four committees to discuss peace and security, economic transformation, social transformation and governance and monitoring.

The lekgotla was a closed meeting, not open to the media. — Sapa