Sascoc sues journo for R21.1m

Johannesburg - The SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has instituted a defamation claim of R21.1 million against sports journalist Graeme Joffe in the High Court in Johannesburg, Beeld reported on Friday.

The court documents, filed on July 3, argued that 23 of Joffe's sports columns, written for, among others, Media24, were defamatory, and that Joffe had accused the organisation of unethical and illegal conduct.

According to the court papers, Joffe wrote that Sascoc had behaved "contrary to the interest of South Africa, engaged in corrupt activities, and wasted money".

Eight of Sascoc's board members, including the organisation's president Gideon Sam, and chief executive Tubby Reddy, lodged the claim.

The plaintiffs said they would argue in court that what Joffe wrote was inaccurate and that he intended to harm their reputation.

The eight had also demanded that Joffe withdraw his statements and apologise.

Joffe said in response that as a sports journalist, he had an obligation to tell the truth about Sascoc, that the organisation bullied many people, and that this was in all likelihood an attempt to silence him.

"I will definitely oppose the claim."

He stood by everything he had written, and he had all the facts to substantiate his claims, Joffe said.