Kenny Kunene ordered to remove content linked to Ramaphosa

Johannesburg businessman Kenny Kunene has been ordered to remove a sexually explicit video and photos of a woman alleged to have an affair with Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, from his publication.

He had argued that the content was in the interest of the public, as they had allegedly been sent to Ramaphosa.

This morning, the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg heard that Kunene’s online publication had crossed the line in publishing content without the woman’s consent. Judge Raylene Keightley delivered the judgement saying that the woman’s right to privacy outweighed the public interest and the right to freedom of expression.

“Although the publications are in the public sphere, the applicant didn’t consent to having her intimate personal videos in the public sphere,” she said.

After the ruling, Kunene said that his team may appeal the ruling after studying the judgement. He said that he would abide by the ruling and remove the content. He further said that he was happy that his credible online newspaper was allowed to keep the story up, but they would abide by the order.

“There are over 100 videos and photos that we have, but obviously we have to make sure that we lock them far away because the order has been made that we must never use them and we are going to respect that order,” he said.

The woman’s attorney Nomaswazi Maseko said that they welcomed the judgment and that they were still in consultation with their client regarding the steps going forward.