Judge lashes out at Manyi’s legal team in defamation case

Businessman Mzwanele ‘Jimmy’ Manyi’s legal team on Tuesday reportedly failed to file heads of argument in a defamation case brought against him by billionaire entrepreneur Magdalena Wierzycka.

Wierzycka is the chief executive of Sygnia Asset Management and South Africa’s wealthiest woman.

The Times reports Wierzycka filed an urgent application to the Johannesburg High Court last week seeking an order declaring statements Manyi made against her on social media, including that she was guilty of economic “terrorism”, defamatory.

Judge Bashier Vally is reported to have lashed out at Manyi’s instructing attorney, Kagiso Dinaka, for the failure to meet the set deadline of Monday to submit the heads of argument by 2pm.

Dinaka told the court he did not think it was urgent to file the affidavit, as the case was due to be argued on Thursday.

“The attitude of not filing heads must stop. That conduct is unacceptable. It doesn’t allow the court to do its job,” Vally said.

The judge ordered Dinaka to present an affidavit explaining why he did not file the heads of argument timeously. Manyi’s legal team was given until 4pm on Tuesday to file the heads of argument.

Wierzycka wants the court to interdict Manyi from publishing more defamatory statements against her. She also wants the court to order Manyi to issue an unconditional apology and retraction on social media, as well as to remove the statements on all the platforms on which they were originally posted.

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