Media mogul Basetsana Kumalo dragged Drum magazine to the high court in the early hours of Friday morning in a bid to obtain an urgent high court interdict to stop them from publishing what she termed a ‘defamatory, untrue and malicious’ story.
The interdict was for the following reasons:
1) For them to remove pictures of Nathi (Basetsana Kumalo’s son) from their online publication.
Kumalo won this battle and managed to get the magazine to remove images of her children, whom she has kept away from the public eye, from their online publication.
2.) Their cover story which hits the shelves today claimed that she had undergone a "botched liposuction".
Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure used to remove unwanted body fat.
“Sadly I couldn't get an urgent interdict on the lies on the lead story that I had "botched liposuction", as the judge says the "horse has bolted and the magazine is already on shelf in CT,” Kumalo said.
She now plans to sue the magazine for defamation and reputational damages with costs.
The story published by the magazine claims that in addition to her recent ankle injury, Kumalo underwent cosmetic surgery at a Joburg hospital.
“I have been keeping the nation abreast about my workouts, what I eat long before I got injured on how I lost the weight. After undergoing major surgery on my ankle, do they think anyone in their right mind will go for "volunteered" surgery! Pathetic,” an angry Kumalo said.
Comment from Drum magazine editor Thandi Mthethwa:
“The magazine hit the shelves this morning and yesterday in other areas. The case was dismissed at the south Gauteng high court with costs, every party had to pay their own costs.
I stand by the cover story as the editor of Drum magazine. We stand by it.”
- This article first appeared on the Sowetan
