Sentencing postponed in Jackie Phamotse’s case against Basetsana Kumalo

Sentencing in Jackie Phamotse’s defamation case involving Basetsana Kumalo has been postponed to March 26.

The author has been found guilty on four charges — including defamation, crimen injuria and violating a protection order — in the matter brought by the businesswoman and former beauty queen.

The matter centres on Phamotse's 2018 Twitter post about an alleged gay sex tape involving the media mogul and her husband, Romeo.

When social media lawyer Emma Sadleir was called by the prosecution as an expert witness, she argued that a slap on the wrist would be an injustice to other victims of cyber bullying.

She said that Phamotse should be used as an example for cases that can at times lead to victims taking their own lives as a result of reckless use of freedom of speech.

“I’ve come here kind of as a cheerleader of [victims of] cyber bullying. Those very victims that contact me every day,” she said. “I do believe if Miss Phamotse is given direct imprisonment, regardless of how long that direct imprisonment is, it will serve as an incredibly powerful deterrent.”

Kumalo took the stand and spoke of the emotional and financial impact she and her family had suffered.

“We lost a lot of family and friends at a very low time in our lives, and this added to the emotional distress and trauma that we had already been going through. My family and I were devastated that our very own friends could share these horrible stories about us and even more devastated that some of them believed them.”

Phamotse's lawyer, Patrick Mathonsi, argued that other sentencing options could be explored.