News / National
Baba Jukwa saga, Facebook faces class action
19 May 2014 at 07:54hrs | Views
A GROUP of individuals who were targeted by Baba Jukwa's Facebook page are in contact with a South African law firm preparing a class action lawsuit against the American social media company, The Herald reported.
The complainants include senior politicians, businessmen and private individuals who claim to have been defamed by the page.
Recent revelations that the Facebook page was operated from South Africa by two journalists, Mxolisi Ncube and Mkhululi Chimoio finally put a face to the anonymous online character, prompting calls for the prosecution of the duo.
The Sunday Mail reported yesterday that the authorities are sifting through hundreds of e-mails and investigating individuals who supplied the Baba Jukwa syndicate with information.
It is alleged Facebook was approached at various times to remove defamatory content, but declined to do so.
At one time Baba Jukwa posted that Facebook had assured him his page would not be interfered with.
The lawsuit follows months of defamatory and threatening posts by Mxolisi Ncube and Mkhululi Chimoio who administered the Baba Jukwa page.
In the run-up to the 2013 harmonised elections, Baba Jukwa threatened to kidnap the children of a Cabinet minister.
Ncube and Chimoio also used the page to post the phone numbers of senior politicians, urging page followers to call and harass them.
Even individuals not in the public eye were not spared as the two journalists posted pictures of women accusing them of being the mistresses of senior politicians and of being HIV-positive while others were branded homosexuals. Legal experts who spoke to The Herald explained that Baba Jukwa's actions were in violation of laws in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States as well as Facebook's own terms of service which prohibit abusive content.
The class action could potentially grow to dozens of complainants as efforts are reportedly underway to contact victims of the page.
The case has raised questions about the accountability of foreign internet companies that operate in Zimbabwe and the jurisdiction of local courts and law enforcement agencies. Companies like Facebook regularly cooperate with law enforcement agencies in Western countries but are reluctant to extend the same in other jurisdictions where they operate.
Social media analysts are concerned the growing Baba Jukwa scandal could lead to tighter control of internet communication.
The complainants include senior politicians, businessmen and private individuals who claim to have been defamed by the page.
Recent revelations that the Facebook page was operated from South Africa by two journalists, Mxolisi Ncube and Mkhululi Chimoio finally put a face to the anonymous online character, prompting calls for the prosecution of the duo.
The Sunday Mail reported yesterday that the authorities are sifting through hundreds of e-mails and investigating individuals who supplied the Baba Jukwa syndicate with information.
It is alleged Facebook was approached at various times to remove defamatory content, but declined to do so.
At one time Baba Jukwa posted that Facebook had assured him his page would not be interfered with.
In the run-up to the 2013 harmonised elections, Baba Jukwa threatened to kidnap the children of a Cabinet minister.
Ncube and Chimoio also used the page to post the phone numbers of senior politicians, urging page followers to call and harass them.
Even individuals not in the public eye were not spared as the two journalists posted pictures of women accusing them of being the mistresses of senior politicians and of being HIV-positive while others were branded homosexuals. Legal experts who spoke to The Herald explained that Baba Jukwa's actions were in violation of laws in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States as well as Facebook's own terms of service which prohibit abusive content.
The class action could potentially grow to dozens of complainants as efforts are reportedly underway to contact victims of the page.
The case has raised questions about the accountability of foreign internet companies that operate in Zimbabwe and the jurisdiction of local courts and law enforcement agencies. Companies like Facebook regularly cooperate with law enforcement agencies in Western countries but are reluctant to extend the same in other jurisdictions where they operate.
Social media analysts are concerned the growing Baba Jukwa scandal could lead to tighter control of internet communication.
Source - The herald
