Update
KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna blogger Mike Hampton was, among others, barred from publishing a self-penned e-book wherein he alleges corruption within the DA after the Western Cape High Court found him in contempt of court on 27 March.
This follows a court interdict in 2015 prohibiting him from publishing anything defamatory about former Knysna deputy mayor Esme Edge.
The court last week also ordered the sheriff to arrest Hampton and that he be brought before court as soon as possible to provide reasons why he should not be imprisoned for 60 days. The court further prohibited Hampton from publishing his e-book titled Same Shit, Different Government, which was scheduled for release on 1 April.
2015 interdict
On 7 July 2015 Hampton was interdicted and restrained from publishing any pictures, defamatory statements or personal information of Edge. He was also ordered to remove several posts on his Facebook page and website pertaining to Edge.
In her latest application, Edge said Hampton started contravening the 2015 court order on 7 March and that by 13 March she had become certain he was intending to treat the court order with contempt when he wrote a blog defaming her by repeating allegations he had previously made about Knysna Tourism being allegedly illegally funded and falsely accusing her of having told a local newspaper to investigate him for child abuse.
The final straw
She claims he then proceeded to call her a criminal and the final straw came when he allegedly contacted the businesses, under the guise of an enquiry, where she is a sales associate.
In her affidavit, Edge claimed Hampton informed her employers that he was releasing a book exposing "political criminals" and that one of them is Edge.
"My head office asked me for an explanation as they are clearly alarmed."
She added that should the book be published, she had no doubt that her reputation would be "indelibly damaged". "The respondent has failed to produce any evidence backing his allegations pertaining to my character and nobody can simply defame somebody and defy court orders without consequence."
'Protecting the DA'
Hampton on his website themikehampton.com responded to the court order saying he had only been served Edge's initial documents by e-mail "without permission from the court and without them receiving acknowledgement from me". "The case should not have proceeded," Hampton said in a blog post.
He criticised judge Babalwa Mantane's ruling saying it was a generalised one – "effectively not protecting just the political applicant but the DA as a whole".
He also urged followers to purchase the book for R200 as he needed the money urgently.
"I'm currently at an undisclosed location but, if I'm arrested at a later stage, share it," he urged.
Read a previous article here: Knysna blogger found in contempt of court
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
