Publications
Former rugby player Joost van der Westhuizen has lodged an urgent application for an interdict against journalist Gavin Prins’ new book, Joost & Amor.
Gossip journalist Gavin Prins could lose about R200 000 in author’s fees if the court stops his book about Joost van der Westhuizen and Amor Vittone, he told the high court in Pretoria.
The Springbok legend, on the other hand, says in court papers his life is at stake. The additional stress of a book on his life might hasten his death, says Joost, who suffers from motor neurone disease (MND), and submitted a letter from his neurologist to the court, confirming stress would have a detrimental effect on an MND sufferer.
Joost arrived at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria in a wheelchair today. Photographers followed him from his car as friends pushed him along as quickly as possible.
A thinner and greyer Joost than the public is accustomed to remained seated in the wheelchair. Judge Eberhard Bertelsmann was supposed to hear Joost’s urgent application for an interdict against the book, Joost & Amor, this morning but postponed it because of an overfull court roll.
The case will be heard tomorrow.
Prins is objecting to the interdict and says most of the information in the book is already in the public domain. In court papers he describes himself as a good friend and confidant of the couple who’ve been described as “South Africa’s Posh and Becks”. He also points out that Joost is still speaking to the media regularly and sharing details of his life on Twitter.
For the book Prins interviewed private investigator Mike Bolhuis about the well-known sex video Joost was part of. He says in court papers the couple regularly invited him over, gave him story ideas and took him into their confidence. Prins says he felt caught between Amor and Joost during the stormy episodes of their marriage.
-Herman Scholtz
