Our courts should be consistent

A Mochudi woman who insulted a neighbour and mocked her about her HIV status was ordered to pay P30,000.  In fact, she was facing civil imprisonment last week until she negotiated to pay the money in installments.

In a similar case before Francistown High Court judge, a Herero man who was insulted and mocked about his HIV status by a Mosarwa woman, did not benefit as he was told that he couldn't claim to have been defamed when the utterances were made in a community where insults are culturally acceptable.Maybe the Herero man should have engaged the Network of People Living with HIV.  But who does not know that insults carry the same weight whether you are a Mosarwa, Herero, Mongwato, or Kalanga?  Certainly when the victim of abusive language and insults tells of his pain, it surely indicates he felt insulted and belittled by the foul language, and only him can say so because he bears the pain in his heart.