The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein will on Monday hear the matter involving the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.
The party approached the SCA in a bid to have the High Court in Johannesburg’s decision set aside.
The EFF is challenging the judgment which ordered them to pay Manuel R 500 000 in damages for defamation.
This comes after party leader Julius Malema and EFF MP, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi accused Manuel of corruption and nepotism in the appointment of South African Revenue Services commissioner, Edward Kieswetter.
Manuel contends that Malema and Ndlozi made baseless and scurrilous allegations which were intended to question his character.
In papers before the SCA, the EFF contends that the high court has misapplied relevant facts and legal principles in their defamation case involving Malema and Ndlozi against the former minister.
Manuel says he continues to suffer harm to his reputation as a result of the widespread dissemination of the EFF statement.
Manuel further argues that no one has the right to lie because they are trying to blow the whistle or by repeating defamatory allegations.
In the video below, last year, the South Gauteng High Court ruled that comments made by the EFF about Trevor Manuel were “defamatory and false”:
