UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Law
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Defamation, Publication & Internet
Service Provider Liability
Online Defamation in the South African Legal Context
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Module Code LCR4805
Module Name Law of Delict
Assignment Assignment 1 — Semester 1
Due Date March 2026
Topic Defamation, Publication & ISP Liability
Referencing OSCOLA (Oxford)
Total Marks 15 marks
Institution University of South Africa
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for LCR4805 — University of South Africa
,UNISA | LCR4805 Defamation & Internet Law
Contents
1 Question (a): The Meaning and Occurrence of Publication in Defamation Law 3
1.1 1.1 The Meaning of Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 1.2 Publication in the Internet/Online Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 1.3 When Does Publication Take Place? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 1.4 Applicable Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Question (b): Effect of a Secret Language on Publication 7
2.1 2.1 The Intelligibility Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 2.2 Yes, It Would Make a Difference — But Only If No One Understands It . . . 7
2.3 2.3 Application to Online Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Question (c): Compelling NetHost Ltd to Reveal the Identity of the Defaming
User 9
3.1 3.1 The Core Tension: Privacy vs Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 3.2 Position Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 9
3.3 3.3 The Norwich Pharmacal Order: The Key Legal Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3.1 3.3.1 Adoption in South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4 3.4 Requirements for a Disclosure Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 3.5 Constitutional Analysis: Privacy vs Dignity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.6 3.6 Position in Other Jurisdictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.1 3.6.1 England and Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.2 3.6.2 United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.3 3.6.3 European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.6.4 3.6.4 Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.7 3.7 Application to the Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reference List 15
Page 2 of 16
, UNISA | LCR4805 Defamation & Internet Law
Question (a): The Meaning and Occurrence of Publication in Defamation Law
Key Distinction
Scenario Recap: A blog hosted by NetHost Ltd publishes an article falsely alleging
that Mr Rodgers paid someone to start the Pretoria East mall fire. The article goes
viral and appears on Google search results. Mr Rodgers suffers reputational harm and
loses clients. The question is whether publication has occurred, and what that means
legally.
1.1 The Meaning of Publication
Publication is one of the essential elements that a plaintiff must prove in a delictual defama-
tion claim under South African law.1 Without proof of publication, a defamation action can-
not succeed, regardless of how damaging or false the statement may be.
In South African law, publication in the context of defamation means the intentional or neg-
ligent communication of a defamatory statement to at least one person other than the person
defamed.2 The statement must be made known to a third party — it is not enough that only
the defamed person knows about it.
Key Distinction
Key Legal Requirement: Publication requires that the defamatory content be com-
municated to at least one person other than the plaintiff. A statement made only to
the plaintiff himself cannot constitute publication for the purposes of defamation.
The following elements characterise publication:
• The statement must be communicated to a third party (someone other than the defamed
person).
• The communication must be intentional or negligent — the defendant must have fore-
seen, or ought to have foreseen, that a third party would receive the statement.3
• The third party must be able to understand the defamatory content.4
1
Neethling, Potgieter and Roos, Neethling on Personality Rights (3rd edn, LexisNexis 2019) 121.
2
Joubert v Venter 1985 (1) SA 654 (A) 699; Neethling and others (n 1) 121.
3
Neethling and others (n 1) 122; Van der Berg v Coopers & Lybrand Trust (Pty) Ltd 2001 (2) SA 242
(SCA).
4
Burchell, The Law of Defamation in South Africa (Juta 1985) 53–55.
Page 3 of 16
College of Law
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Defamation, Publication & Internet
Service Provider Liability
Online Defamation in the South African Legal Context
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Module Code LCR4805
Module Name Law of Delict
Assignment Assignment 1 — Semester 1
Due Date March 2026
Topic Defamation, Publication & ISP Liability
Referencing OSCOLA (Oxford)
Total Marks 15 marks
Institution University of South Africa
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for LCR4805 — University of South Africa
,UNISA | LCR4805 Defamation & Internet Law
Contents
1 Question (a): The Meaning and Occurrence of Publication in Defamation Law 3
1.1 1.1 The Meaning of Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 1.2 Publication in the Internet/Online Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 1.3 When Does Publication Take Place? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 1.4 Applicable Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Question (b): Effect of a Secret Language on Publication 7
2.1 2.1 The Intelligibility Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 2.2 Yes, It Would Make a Difference — But Only If No One Understands It . . . 7
2.3 2.3 Application to Online Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Question (c): Compelling NetHost Ltd to Reveal the Identity of the Defaming
User 9
3.1 3.1 The Core Tension: Privacy vs Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 3.2 Position Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 9
3.3 3.3 The Norwich Pharmacal Order: The Key Legal Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3.1 3.3.1 Adoption in South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4 3.4 Requirements for a Disclosure Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 3.5 Constitutional Analysis: Privacy vs Dignity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.6 3.6 Position in Other Jurisdictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.1 3.6.1 England and Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.2 3.6.2 United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6.3 3.6.3 European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.6.4 3.6.4 Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.7 3.7 Application to the Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reference List 15
Page 2 of 16
, UNISA | LCR4805 Defamation & Internet Law
Question (a): The Meaning and Occurrence of Publication in Defamation Law
Key Distinction
Scenario Recap: A blog hosted by NetHost Ltd publishes an article falsely alleging
that Mr Rodgers paid someone to start the Pretoria East mall fire. The article goes
viral and appears on Google search results. Mr Rodgers suffers reputational harm and
loses clients. The question is whether publication has occurred, and what that means
legally.
1.1 The Meaning of Publication
Publication is one of the essential elements that a plaintiff must prove in a delictual defama-
tion claim under South African law.1 Without proof of publication, a defamation action can-
not succeed, regardless of how damaging or false the statement may be.
In South African law, publication in the context of defamation means the intentional or neg-
ligent communication of a defamatory statement to at least one person other than the person
defamed.2 The statement must be made known to a third party — it is not enough that only
the defamed person knows about it.
Key Distinction
Key Legal Requirement: Publication requires that the defamatory content be com-
municated to at least one person other than the plaintiff. A statement made only to
the plaintiff himself cannot constitute publication for the purposes of defamation.
The following elements characterise publication:
• The statement must be communicated to a third party (someone other than the defamed
person).
• The communication must be intentional or negligent — the defendant must have fore-
seen, or ought to have foreseen, that a third party would receive the statement.3
• The third party must be able to understand the defamatory content.4
1
Neethling, Potgieter and Roos, Neethling on Personality Rights (3rd edn, LexisNexis 2019) 121.
2
Joubert v Venter 1985 (1) SA 654 (A) 699; Neethling and others (n 1) 121.
3
Neethling and others (n 1) 122; Van der Berg v Coopers & Lybrand Trust (Pty) Ltd 2001 (2) SA 242
(SCA).
4
Burchell, The Law of Defamation in South Africa (Juta 1985) 53–55.
Page 3 of 16
