South Africa: The Pretoria High Court has dismissed a defamation case brought on by the Mr Gay World competition against former winner Louw Breytenbach.

Louw Breytenbach, who represented South Africa in the global competition was originally crowned the winner in October 2021, but he quit the role just two months later reportedly over a contract dispute with the competition organisers.

Breytenbach said he had concerns about the contract he was required to sign after winning the competition, and also raised concerns about the use of funds by the Gay World Foundation.

Organisers of the competition subsequently sued Breytenbach and his publicist Gavin Prins for defamation.

They had asked the court to order an apology and award damages over the comments, as well as barring both men from making further comments about the competition.

Acting High Court Judge Mervyn Rip dismissed the case, without making any judgement on the claims, saying he had concerns about the manner in which the concerns had been brought before the court.

“The procedure that was adopted by the Applicants in bringing this matter on application appears to be fatally defective,” he wrote. The judge added, however, that “In saying this I have not determined the merits of the claim for defamation as such.”

Breytenbach and Prins released a statement saying they considered the dismissal of the case a victory. The judge ordered Mr Gay Word to pay the legal costs.

“I am beyond thrilled with the outcome and wish to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who stood by me during this time. May we remember that silence in adversity is complicity.” Louw Breytenbach said.

Following Breytenbach stepping away from the role, Joel Rey Carcasona from The Philippines was named the new winner of the international competition.

Bongs Ndima, the runner-up from South Africa’s national competition, was named Mr Gay Word – South Africa, but he too abandoned the role soon after passing the sash to a third contestant Shanon Kannigan.

In years gone by the Mr Gay World has been seen as a significant tool to promote gay rights and equality, but in recent years the competition has been mired with controversies.

Update: 16-04-2024 12:02am this report has been updated. The original report referred to the organisation behind the competition as the Mr Gay World Foundation. The organisation is the Gay Would Foundation. OUTinPerth apologises for the error.