President Zuma withdraws case against Mr Shapiro and Avusa
28 October 2012
In December 2008 President Jacob Zuma instituted a legal claim against Avusa Media, publishers of The Sunday Times, the newspaper's editor at the time Mr Mondli Makhanya, and its editorial cartoonist Mr Jonathan Shapiro, AKA "Zapiro". The damages sought - R5 million - were in compensation for defamation and impaired personal dignity (see here).
This followed the publication in September that year of a "Zapiro" cartoon in the Sunday Times, titled "The Rape of Lady Justice". The cartoon depicted President Zuma preparing to "rape" a representation of "Lady Justice", while various other individuals held her down for him.
This representation was hurtful and defamatory, as the respondents themselves have subsequently admitted in papers submitted to the South Gauteng High Court. This candid admission, whilst sought to be justified on other grounds, at least reflects an appreciation of the hurt and harm that such depiction brought about.
Moreover, in depicting President Zuma as a would-be rapist, the cartoon sought to play to discredited and legally disproved accusations made against him in 2006. The newspaper and the cartoonist wanted to perpetrate an image of the President as a sexual deviant, despite a court of law rejecting the allegations against him and clearing his name.