Following several attempts to lodge urgent applications against Moja Love (DStv 157) for alleged copyright infringement, the South Gauteng High court has dismissed Jeffrey Mpungose's fourth application. Mpungose claimed that he was the brains behind A se Nna, a show on the channel about people who went to jail for crimes they did not commit.
The first urgent application was brought on the 23rd of March in the Kwa-Zulu Natal High court which sought to interdict Moja Love from broadcasting 'A se Nna' on the basis that the channel stole Mpungose's idea. However, the KZN High court dismissed that application on the basis of lack of jurisdiction with costs. According to the statement, a few hours later Mpungose filed the same application at the South Gauteng High Court and once again the application was dismissed with costs for lack of urgency. "In July 2023, the applicants filed a third and failed application to stop the channel from broadcasting A se Nna. Despite the amicable efforts to understand Mpungose's cause of complaint, he failed to provide Moja Love with any proof relating to any copy right infringement including ownership and or theft of the idea as is claimed."
Despite three unsuccessful attempts, on Wednesday 28 February 2024 the applicants filed the fourth urgent application at the South Gauteng High Court. "The court described the application as flimsy and dismissed the matter against Moja Love and ordered the applicant to pay the channel's legal costs, "said the statement. Moja Love's co-head of channel and executive producer of A se Nna Shoki Zama said it has been year of expensive litigation and start-and-stops. "As a channel, we are delighted to be able to continue providing our viewers with content that resonates with some realities faced by ordinary South Africans. We are grateful to our defence for assisting us in these matters," Zama said.