2 days ago
Top 5 celebrity court cases give Mamkhize a run for her money
The glamorous lives of celebrities are often tarnished by what happens behind the scenes. From authors to kwaito stars, legal cases with dramatic twists have become all too common in the world of the rich and famous.
Businesswoman and reality TV star Shauwn Mkhize's has been one case, with the South African Revenue Services (Sars) pressing charges for her failure to pay the taxman. Her prized fleet of 14 vehicles were individually sold in a Sars-sanctioned auction in Durban and Joburg last year, after she reportedly owed R40m in back taxes.
See this list of five other celebrities who have made headlines for their court cases.
BONANG MATHEBA
According to a TimesLIVE report, in 2018, Sars opened a fraud case against South African television personality, actress and presenter Bonang Matheba for not paying personal tax from 2008-2017 and company tax from 2014-2017.
During her case, she appeared at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after she paid an admission of guilt fine of R30,000.
R22,000 was paid for personal taxes not filed and R8,000 for company taxes, listed under Bonang Matheba Entertainment (Pty) Ltd.
JACKIE PHAMOTSE
In 2023, Jackie Phamotse was found guilty in a high-profile defamation case brought against her by celebrity couple Basetsana Kumalo and her husband, businessman Romeo Kumalo. The legal saga originated from a controversial tweet posted by Phamotse in 2018, where she made allegations insinuating the existence of a compromising video involving the Kumalos and another male figure.
Phamotse was sentenced to a two-year house arrest and was fined R30,000 for defamation.
ARTHUR MAFOKATE
According to The Citizen, the court agreed with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) that musician Arthur Mafokate could not show how he purchased properties and cars without a National Lottery Commission grant he had requested for R9.3m. The grant was meant to provide unemployed youth in poor and rural areas with skills in the entertainment industry; instead, R7.5m was used to purchase a guest house, La Villa Rosa in Midrand.
During the court proceedings, Mafokate argued that the funds were necessary to help deliver the required services. He appealed against a ruling to have the property released from a preservation order, but it was dismissed.
JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD
Depp's ex-wife and actor Amber Heard accused him of domestic abuse, which she detailed in a 2018 Washington Post essay. Depp denied all allegations and instead claimed that it was Heard who was violent towards him. He filed a suit against her for defamation, for which she filed a countersuit alleging the same. Clips of the trial went viral on social media.
Heard was found liable in all three matters of defamation raised and was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10m (R178,991,992) compensatory damages and $5m (R89,506,441) in punitive damages. The latter was reduced to $350,000 (R6,263,018) due to a limit imposed by a state law. Depp was found liable on one charge of defamation and ordered to pay Heard $2m (R35,783,058).
Kendall Jenner had to cough up for falsely promoting the fictional Fyre Festival.
Image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
KENDALL JENNER
VS GREGORY MESSER
No stranger to lawsuits, Kendall Jenner's most renowned legal troubles came from her and US Bankruptcy Court trustee Gregory Messer for the false promotion of Fyre Festival, a 2017 music event that famously never even happened. Jenner, who was among several celebrities to post about it, was paid $275,000 (R4,919,258) to endorse the event.
Messer, who was trying to recover money on behalf of many creditors, argued that Jenner not only failed to disclose to her followers that she was paid for the advertising but also led them to believe the festival would be filled with famous models on an 'exotic private island with first-class culinary experiences and a luxury atmosphere'.
She eventually agreed to pay $90,000 (R1,610,523) to settle.
