On Wednesday, TikTok user Njabulo Madlanga made her first appearance in the Booysens Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg on charges of crimen injuria and the contravention of the Cyber Crimes Act.

The case first made headlines in 2023 after an event at Gold Reef City, where Madlanga accused a group of young adults of being racist.

AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit represents the complainants, Reece Lopes, Milan Kruijer and Jude Fraser-Grant, who were targeted on social media after Madlanga shared TikTok posts, identifying them as the ones who purportedly were racist.

In the posts, published on July 6, 2023, Madlanga claimed that while she and her siblings were waiting in a queue at Gold Reef City, the trio directed monkey sounds at them. The three deny doing so.

In October 2023, the Private Prosecution Unit successfully applied for a protection order against Madlanga, prohibiting her from further harassing or enlisting the help of others to harass the complainants.

The unit has previously stated publicly that false claims of racism should be dealt with as seriously as bona fide allegations of such discrimination.

Madlanga has not denied publishing the posts or accusing the trio of racism. During the protection order hearing, she defended the posts and allegations as ‘her truth’.

Despite recording videos of the three people in the queue, she has not yet presented evidence to back up her accusations of racism made during the protection order hearing.

In March this year, Madlanga’s attorney, Rupert Candy, told Caxton Local Media that his client will appeal the March 2024 harassment judgment against her. He also provided an affidavit that denies she is guilty of any crimes. She further denies that her conduct was intended to cause serious injury to the dignity of the complainants.

Yesterday, Candy commented on behalf of Madlanga and said: “Unfortunately for the young complainants and their families, AfriForum appears less concerned about their complaints, and more on how they can score political points out of this. Our client is innocent of all charges, one of which relates to a common law offence that no longer exists in our law.

“Our client reserves her rights to lay counter charges of crimen injuria for the racism that she experienced by the complainants.”

In a written reply, Candy said AfriForum has been engaged in repeated abuse of the justice system, both civil and criminal, in an effort to make an example of this young student, as a warning to all black South Africans that they must stop speaking out against racism.

Candy noted that it was particularly telling that only their client’s image appears on social media, suggesting an attempt to portray her as a criminal while the case is still before the courts.

The matter was postponed to July 7 for the docket to be disclosed to the defence and for a trial date to be set.

AfriForum helps principal accused of rape

The AfriForum unit is also assisting Jaco Pieterse, the Bergview College principal, as he pursues criminal charges against several prominent figures for falsely accusing him of being a suspect in a child rape case.

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the unit, says being falsely accused of a crime can be devastating. “Too often, people use social media to make false and unconfirmed allegations, fully aware that their claims will unquestionably be accepted as true. It elevates those individuals to the positions of judge, jury and executioner in their own cases.

“Justice will not be found in an environment where people prioritise clicks and likes over the truth.”

He says the Madlanga case, as well as the Bergview College matter, must demonstrate that making false allegations against people has serious consequences. “The courts must send a clear message that falsely accusing someone on social media of a crime they did not commit will not be tolerated, and the accusers will be held accountable,” concludes Bateman.

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