TV producer and South African media mogul Basetsana Kumalo is set to sue DRUM magazine after failing to secure an urgent court interdict to prevent the weekly magazine from publishing an image of one of her children and a story in the latest issue on sale from today alleging that she underwent "botched liposuction".
Basetsana Kumalo, the producer whiz behind shows like Top Billing on SABC3, Pasella on SABC2 and Our Perfect Wedding, Diski Divas and Date My Family on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) went to court just past midnight this morning to prevent DRUM from publishing images of her son Nathi in a story about her alleged "botched liposuction".
Basetsana Kumalo, a former Miss South Africa popularly known as Bassie, slammed DRUM's story as "defamatory, untrue and malicious". DRUM magazine says it "stand by the cover story".
Basetsana Kumalo and her husband Romeo went to court to try and obtain an urgent court interdict to stop the publication of the article about her alleged medical procedure.
Besides surgery on her recent ankle injury, DRUM reports that she underwent cosmetic surgery as well in a story headlined "Bassie's health scare", saying "Media mogul dices with death, liposuction gone wrong?, internal bleeding".
DRUM says it has "exclusively learned that Basetsana is in a private Johannesburg hospital allegedly for liposuction gone wrong".
Judge Denise Fisher refrained from granting the urgent interdict in the South Gauteng High Court since the image of Nathi was already posted online. Basetsana Kumalo will now launch civil proceedings to sue DRUM for defamation.
"Sadly I couldn't get an urgent interdict on the lies on the lead story that I had 'botched liposuction' as the judge says the horse has bolted and the magazine is already on shelf in Cape Town," says Basetsana Kumalo.
DRUM editor Thandi Mthethwa says the magazine stands by the reporting in the cover story of its latest issue on sale now.
