Sonia Mbele Wins Defamation Case Against Major News Outlets
Sonia Mbele Wins Defamation Case Against Major News Outlets. They may have divorced over 10 years ago, but Sonia Mbele and Leslie Sedibe still make news to date. Their split was a public spectacle, and years later, tabloids still run with their issues.
A few months back there were reports that both Leslie and his estranged wife, Faith Nevhutalu, accused the star of using muthi on him. According to Daily Sun, the former South African Football Association (SAFA) said Faith told him during one of their domestic tiffs, before the collapse of their marriage.
Mbele complained that the matter did not concern her as the story was about Sedibe and Nevhutula – and yet she got inaccurately and unfairly dragged into it. She then asked for a retraction and an apology since the article implies that she used witchcraft to influence Sedibe regarding his marriage to Nevhutula.
Daily Sun asked that the complaint be dismissed. The crux of its response was that the article did not accuse Mbele of witchcraft as fact (it was consistently presented as allegations) and that her denials were included verbatim – providing readers with a balanced account and avoiding distortion or misrepresentation.
In the findings, it was established that the article unfairly used secondary sources whose credibility were in question. The sources were not sufficiently independent, their information was not reasonably true and their information was based on hearsay.
Daily Sun has thus been directed to apologize to Mbele for publishing the allegation, both in the article and in the headline, that she used muthi on Sedibe and that she still had an extramarital affair with him – as well as for the reputational harm that the reportage caused her.
“Ok so here we are. I didn’t want to say much I just wanted the truth to speak for itself. One thing I do not do…I don’t entertain ghosts. I don’t dine with the devil and I don’t play in demon time!!!
Thanks to EVERYONE that saw these defamatory uttering, made up stories and damaging lies for what they were 🙏🏽,” Sonia said.
