By Burnett Munthali

The Lilongwe First Grade Magistrate Court has suspended a ten-month jail sentence for Tendai “10May” Malata, initially set to serve time for his first offense, citing his lack of prior convictions. Malata was found guilty after admitting to defaming Triephornia Thomson Mpinganjira on his social media page.

In delivering the judgment, Magistrate Amran Phiri stated that Malata should refrain from similar online offenses involving defamation for a period of 18 months. As part of the court’s orders, “10May” must delete all defamatory content he posted about the complainant and issue a public apology to Ms. Mpinganjira for three consecutive days.

This ruling highlights the court’s approach to addressing online defamation cases and sets a standard for public accountability in digital spaces.