Zapiro vows to fight Zuma's R5m lawsuit

Jonathan Shapiro, the cartoonist behind Zapiro, has remained defiant, stating that President Jacob Zuma's R5 million defamation lawsuit against him and Avusa Media, the publisher of Sunday Times and division of JSE-listed Avusa, had no basis.

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Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro

" I don't see anything good that will come out of it. We don't believe they have a case. We firmly believe that we will win the case...

Shapiro faces another R2 million lawsuit lodged by Zuma over three cartoons published during the president's rape trial during 2006.

Speaking on the sidelines of the "Discussions with Zapiro" event, Shapiro told BusinessLIVE that he would fight the R5 million lawsuit, which was like the proposed Media Tribunal.

The Media Tribunal is government's proposed initiative that would seek to monitor information published by media groups.

With the lawsuit and the tribunal, Shapiro said the government was trying to close down certain kinds of criticism, speech and reporting that constituted the freedom of expression.

"This is why I'm fighting this (lawsuit) as much as I'm fighting the Media Tribunal," he added.

The lawsuit stems from the cartoon showing Zuma loosening his trousers while African National Congress (ANC) Youth League president Julius Malema, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and SA Communist Party (SACP) leader Blade Nzimande held down Lady Justice.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe then says: "Go for it, boss."

Zuma launched the court case against Avusa Media, Shapiro and former Sunday Times editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya in a summons issued in the High Court in Johannesburg on December 10 2010.

Shapiro said Zuma sent a letter of demand in December 2008 in relation to this cartoon and two years later, the summons arrived.Shapiro said he was "flabbergasted" by the summons.

"I don't see anything good that will come out of it. We don't believe they have a case. We firmly believe that we will win the case," he said.

There was still no court date yet.

Shapiro said the Human Rights Commission had already exonerated him and the Sunday Times over the Lady Justice cartoon.

The commission found that the cartoon was likely to offend some people, but it was within the bounds of freedom of expression, he said.

The freedom of expression, he said, was recognised in the constitution.

The president should see himself as a public figure, subject to scrutiny and satire, Shapiro said.