that she was misleading the authorities of the nation as well as that she knowingly failed to acknowledge a surviving parent and lastly over the contention that she was not a Simalane but a Mahlangu. The evidence led did not establish this at all. The closest to establishing was a suspicion by Mr. Mahlangu that the Plaintiff could be his child. The basis for this suspicion are not sound. In any event the publication was not about a suspicion as it was unequivocal in its terms that the Plaintiff is Mr. Mahlangu’s daughter, who was an imposter as acting chief and was ignoring her own father just because unlike the Simelane’s he had nothing to offer her. [50] The position is settled that truth as a defence would avail the Defendants where it is shown that the publication was in the public interest. According to Burchell J. M’s The Law of Defamation in South Africa, 1985 Publication, Juta and Company at page 207:‘The South African Case Law does not adopt De Viller’s interpretation, but rather takes the view that the general rule is that truth alone is no defence – the publication must also be for the public benefit. Truth alone may, however, be pleaded in mitigation of damages.’ [51] It is argued that the matter was, owing to the fact that the Plaintiff was a public figure in so far as she was both an acting chief and Senate President in Parliament, one of public interest which necessitated the publication of the allegations concerned against her. [52] Having come to the conclusion that the said allegations were untrue and were defamatory, it cannot avail one to say their publication was in order simply because the Plaintiff was a public figure. At page 1212 of the South African case of National Media Ltd and Others vs Bogoshi 1998 (4) SA 1196 (SCA) (the Bogoshi Judgment) the position was put in the following words:‘In considering the reasonableness of the publication account must obviously be taken of the nature, extent and tone of the allegations. We know for instance, that greater latitude is usually allowed in respect of Political discussion, and that the tone in which a Newspaper article is written, or the way in which it is presented, sometimes provides additional, and perhaps unnecessary, sting. What will also feature prominently is the nature of the information on which the 27