In which of the following situations can it be said that the publication of (defamatory) words has taken place?
A .Two Turkish tourists in South Africa start arguing and, in front of a group of South Africans, the one calls the other a liar and a thief in Turkish.
B. Mr Simba tells his wife, Mrs Simba, that Mrs Zandile, who works at the office with him, stole some money
C. Mr Simba tells Mr Yaya that his assistant, Mrs Zandile, stole some money at the office
Both situation B and C can be said to involve the publication of defamatory words. In Situation B, Mr. Simba is making the defamatory statement about Mrs. Zandile to his wife, while in Situation C, Mr. Simba is making the defamatory statement about Mrs. Zandile to Mr. Yaya.
In situations A and B, it can be said that the publication of defamatory words has taken place.
In situation A, the Turkish tourists argue in front of a group of South Africans, and one of them calls the other a liar and a thief in Turkish. Even though the defamatory words are spoken in Turkish, they are still considered published because they are communicated to the group of South Africans who can understand the conversation.
In situation B, Mr Simba tells his wife, Mrs Simba, that Mrs Zandile, who works at the office with him, stole some money. Although this conversation is between Mr. and Mrs. Simba, it can still be considered publication because Mr. Simba is communicating the defamatory statement to his wife.
In situation C, Mr. Simba tells Mr. Yaya that his assistant, Mrs. Zandile, stole some money at the office. This conversation is considered a private conversation between Mr. Simba and Mr. Yaya and does not involve a third party or public communication. Therefore, it would not be considered publication of defamatory words in this situation.