Musa Khawula ordered to apologise to Malema or face 30 days in jail

Controversial blogger Musa Khawula has been sentenced to 30 days imprisonment, suspended on condition that he apologises for comments suggesting that Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema and his wife, Mantoa Matlala-Malema, were headed for divorce. On Tuesday, the Gauteng high court found Khawula in contempt of court after he failed to comply with an April ruling ordering him to issue a public apology over defamatory allegations about the couple’s marriage. The court ordered that the 30-day prison sentence would be suspended for 30 days on condition that Khawula fully complies with the earlier order requiring him to apologise.

In April, the court ruled in Malema’s favour, finding Khawula’s posts defamatory, false and unlawful. He was ordered to remove the posts, issue a public apology within 24 hours and pay legal costs on an attorney-and-client scale. Khawula, however, refused to comply with the court order, insisting his remarks were true and publicly stating that he would not apologise, prompting the couple to return to court.